Pelican Press

Trump’s ‘shameful’ diversity blame and shoplifting nation Trump’s ‘shameful’ diversity blame and shoplifting nation Many of Friday’s front pages report the collision between a passenger jet and military helicopter in Washington DC that killed 67 people. The story in the Times focuses on comments from US President Donald Trump that blamed diversity initiatives that were championed by former administrations. Trump, who acknowledged that there was no evidence to support his claim that people hired for air traffic control roles were not always qualified, responded with “it just could have been”, the paper reports. Earlier this week, the US president axed diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the military. “Shameful”, reads the Daily Mirror’s headline as it covers Donald Trump’s blame for the Washington air collision on diversity hires. The paper calls it a “new low” for what is says is the deadliest air tragedy in the US since 2001. The paper quotes the former US transport secretary as saying: “Trump should be leading, not lying”. “A nation of shoplifters”, reads the Metro’s front page, referring to the “nearly half a million” theft offences logged by the police in a year, which is the most on record, the paper says. It adds that the figures reflect a “rising trend” of repeat offenders who pile trolleys with goods and leave without paying. The Metro reports that the British Retail Consortium told the BBC that thieves have become more daring due to the low risk of arrest. The Financial Times focuses on a warning from the European Central Bank (ECB) of “headwinds” to what the paper calls the Eurozone’s “stagnating economy”. It says the bank’s decision to cut its benchmark interest rate to 2.75% was a “unanimous decision”. The FT quotes the ECB president as saying the economy is “set to remain weak in the near term”. An exclusive in the i paper reports that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told health bosses to spend more money on treating elderly people at home to prevent them from being admitted to hospital or care homes unnecessarily. The paper says the NHS and councils have been told to use £9bn funding to cut emergency admissions for over 65s, the number of over 65s admitted to care homes, and delays to hospital discharges. The Daily Telegraph says more than 10% farmland will be “axed for net zero” in what it calls a “fresh blow to rural life”. The plans – which will be announced by the environment secretary in a speech on Friday – will seek to replace that farmland with tree planting, solar farms and improving habitants for wildlife. The president of the National Farmers’ Union said it was “imperative” that the framework did not “further restrict farmers’ ability to produce the nation’s food”. ALong with several other papers, the Telegraph features a photo of singer Marianne Faithfull, who has died at the age of 78. The National Audit Office (NAO) has said the “epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG)” is getting worse in the *** despite years of government promises, the Guardian reports. The watchdog’s report comes four years after a government response to VAWG in the wake of the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. According to the paper, the NAO said they found “disjointed” efforts to deal with it, with it currently affecting one in 12 in England and Wales. “We need people who believe in Brexit”, reads Nigel Farage’s warning on the Daily Express. According to the paper’s exclusive, Farage has “vowed” to deliver Brexit to the millions who voted for it, if he becomes prime minister at the next election. The Reform *** leader said the *** needs a government that believes in existing outside of the European Union, so its full potential can be realised, the Express adds. “Now prove your ‘growth agenda’ isn’t all hot air”, reads the Daily Mail’s headline, as opposition leader Kemi Badenoch challenges the prime minister to sign off on two North Sea oil projects that have been blocked by the courts. A court in Scotland ruled the previous government’s approval of the projects unlawful, after Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband withdrew Labour’s legal support for the companies involved. Sir Keir Starmer is facing pressure to overrule Miliband and give the projects the “green light”, the paper adds. “How Vladdy dare you”, the Sun asks with a play on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name, after the paper’s defence editor Jerome Starkey was “slapped” with a Russian arrest warrant. The paper says it was for his “fearless coverage” of the Russia-Ukraine war, and adding that he is also on a wanted list for reporting from Kursk. The Sun adds that No 10 has called the ruling “desperate”. And the Daily Star takes a look at a 100m wide asteroid that it says could hit Britain at 05:23 GMT on 22 December, 2032. Source link #Trumps #shameful #diversity #blame #shoplifting #nation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

BYD importer working to deliver Shark 6s ahead of crucial date BYD importer working to deliver Shark 6s ahead of crucial date The clock is running out on the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and *********** BYD distributor EVDirect is working to deliver delayed Shark 6 utes before the April 1 cutoff date. Shark 6 deliveries have been impacted by industrial action at *********** ports. Though this action has now ended, the ripple effects are seeing customers take delivery of their vehicles later than expected. EVDirect now says it has received over 6000 Shark 6 orders – up another 500 in the last fortnight alone – since it announced pricing and opened orders last October, though deliveries only commenced earlier this month. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert It’s unclear how many vehicle deliveries have been impacted by the drama at the ports. “We have the whole team working around the clock to minimise [the impact of the industrial action],” EVDirect founder and executive chairman Luke Todd told CarExpert. “The port activity was completely out of our hands, but the impact of that is significant. “The timing of it, when we did have so many people waiting – especially just after Christmas and New Year. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert “The impact of the strike activity at ports was just terrible timing, so we’re now doing everything we can to satisfy as many deliveries as possible, and we’re doing everything we can to hopefully have zero people impacted with the FBT, but as it stands I couldn’t assure that. “We’re doing all we can, and that’s all we can do. It’s unfortunate that as an island country we are held to ransom by ports.” While the FBT exemption will continue for certain EVs beyond April 1, it’s ending for PHEVs as from that date they’ll no longer be considered a zero- or low-emissions vehicle. That means customers will need to sign a novated lease agreement and take delivery before April 1, per *********** Tax Office (ATO) guidelines. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert PHEV sales were up by 100.2 per cent in 2024, outpacing the growth for electric vehicles (up 4.7 per cent over 2023) and hybrids (up 76 per cent). With the Shark 6, BYD has beaten other brands to the punch in offering a PHEV ute in Australia. Ford’s Ranger PHEV isn’t due here until mid-year, while the PHEV version of GWM’s Cannon Alpha is set for a second-quarter launch. BYD’s first ute is available in a sole 4×4 dual-cab specification, priced at $57,900 before on-road costs. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert This sees it undercut the Ford Ranger XLT ***-Turbo dual-cab ($63,640 before on-roads), which indicates there will be a significant gulf between the Shark and a comparable Ranger PHEV. Powering the Shark 6 is a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, plus two electric motors (one on each axle), and a 29.58kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack. The powertrain produces total outputs of 321kW and 650Nm, sent to all four wheels. BYD claims an electric-only driving range of 100km (NEDC), with fuel economy as low as 2.0L/100km when running as a hybrid with the battery charged. The Shark 6 has a braked towing capacity of 2500kg – down on the 3500kg figure of most Ranger models, including the upcoming PHEV. MORE: Everything BYD Shark 6 Source link #BYD #importer #working #deliver #Shark #ahead #crucial #date Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

RFK Jr. and Bernie Sanders Get Into Screaming Match Over Big Pharma RFK Jr. and Bernie Sanders Get Into Screaming Match Over Big Pharma Robert F. Kennedy attempted Thursday to score a cheap political point against Senator Bernie Sanders by accusing the independent Vermont lawmaker of being bought out by the pharmaceutical industry—but he got his facts wrong. “And by the way, Bernie, the problem of corruption is not just in the federal agencies. It’s in Congress too,” Kennedy said. “Almost all the members of this panel, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and protecting their interests.” “Oh, no, no, no, no,” Sanders said, raising his hand to quiet the applause that erupted from the gallery. “I ran for president like you. I got millions and millions of contributions. They did not come from the executives; not one nickel of PAC money from the pharmaceutical industry. They came from the workers.” Sanders’s financial support from the health care industry stemmed from everyday workers, galvanized by his campaign promises of Medicaid for all and large-scale pharmaceutical reform. “In 2020 you were the single largest receiver of pharmaceutical money,” Kennedy again insisted. “Because I had more contributions from workers all over this country. Workers, not a nickel from corporate PACs,” Sanders continued, before he was cut off again by Kennedy, reiterating his point. “Bernie, you were the single largest acceptor of pharmaceutical dollars. $1.5 million,” Kennedy said. “Yeah, out of $200 million,” Sanders said, before reminding Kennedy that he had deflected from answering a question as to whether, under the “Make America Healthy Again” banner and as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, he would “guarantee health care to every single American.” But Kennedy never had to answer that. Instead, Senator Markwayne Mullin interjected that Sanders had gone over his allotted time and was “battering the witness.” Quiver Quantitative, a financial technology startup that provides data on insider trading and campaign contributions, listed no corporate PAC donors for Sanders—let alone any within the folds of the pharmaceutical industry. The company noted, however, that they do not currently track donations by industry employees. Kennedy, meanwhile, has seemingly made a business out of his extreme public health stances. A disclosure form filed for his nomination revealed that the outspoken vaccine critic pulled in roughly $10 million over the last year related to dividends from his vaccine lawsuits, anti-vax speaking fees, and leading Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit dedicated to spreading misinformation about vaccine efficacy. Source link #RFK #Bernie #Sanders #Screaming #Match #Big #Pharma Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Australia stocks rise, Japan to open higher Australia stocks rise, Japan to open higher Crowded and busy Ameyoko shopping street in Tokyo, Japan Visualspace | E+ | Getty Images Japan stocks were set to rise Friday after Wall Street rose overnight as investors assessed Big Tech earnings. Futures for Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 in Chicago were at 39,715, while their counterpart in Osaka last traded at 39,580, against the index’s last close of 39,513.97. The Tokyo consumer price index, excluding fresh food, rose 2.5% year on year in January, compared with 2.4% in the previous month. The latest reading is in line with Reuters’ estimates. Japan’s unemployment rate for December fell to 2.4% from 2.5% in the previous month, missing Reuters estimates of 2.5%. Meanwhile, Japan’s retail sales for December climbed 3.7% from the previous year, while its industrial output figures for December grew at 0.3%, month on month, ifrom the 2.2% drop in the month before. Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 started the day up 0.68%. The country is expected to release its producer price index reading for the fourth quarter later in the day. Korean markets will begin trading later in the day after a four-day break, while the Hong Kong and ******** markets remain closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes rose. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 168.61 points, or 0.38%, closing at 44,882.13. At its session highs, it had added nearly 300 points. The S&P 500 rose 0.53% to 6,071.17, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.25% to end at 19,681.75. Stocks cut gains late in the session after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intentions to implement 25% tariffs U.S. imports from Canada and Mexico. — CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han and Sean Conlon contributed to this report. Source link #Australia #stocks #rise #Japan #open #higher Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

FDA Approves Journavx Drug to Treat Pain Without Addiction Risk FDA Approves Journavx Drug to Treat Pain Without Addiction Risk The Food and Drug Administration approved a new medication Thursday to treat pain from an injury or surgery. It is expensive, with a list price of $15.50 per pill. But unlike opioid pain medicines, it cannot become addictive. That is because the drug, suzetrigine, made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and to be sold as Journavx, works only on nerves outside the brain, blocking pain signals. It cannot get into the brain. Researchers say they expect it to be the first of a new generation of more powerful nonaddictive drugs to relieve pain. To test the drug, Vertex, which is based in Boston, conducted two large clinical trials, each with approximately 1,000 patients who had pain from surgery. They were randomly assigned to get a placebo; to get the opioid sold as Vicodin, a widely used combination pain medicine of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and hydrocodone; or to get suzetrigine. In one trial, patients had an abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck. In the other, they had a bunionectomy. Side effects of suzetrigine reported by patients were similar to the ones reported by those taking the placebo. The company also submitted data from a 250-person study that assessed the drug’s safety and tolerability in patients with pain from surgery, trauma or accidents. Suzetrigine eased pain as much as combination opioid. Both were better than the placebo at relieving pain. Suzetrigine’s price, though, is much higher than that of acetaminophen plus hydrocodone. Patients are expected to take two pills a day, for a total cost of $31 a day. The older drug, said Dr. John D. Loeser, an emeritus pain expert at the University of Washington is “dirt cheap” at pennies per pill. But suzetrigine does not have opioids’ unpleasant side effects like nausea and drowsiness, and it is nonaddictive. “There are a number of people who, once they have an opioid, want an opioid constantly,” Dr. Loeser said. About 85,000 people a year become addicted after taking a prescription opioid, said Dr. David Altshuler, chief scientific officer at Vertex. It’s a small proportion of the 40 million prescribed opioids each year for acute pain — from surgery, accidents or trauma — but is nonetheless a large number, he said. The story of suzetrigine began in the late 1990s with basic research by Dr. Stephen Waxman of Yale. He wondered how nerve cells signal pain to the brain. Nerve cells have nine sodium channels — tiny molecular batteries — that generate electrical signals. But, he discovered, two of those channels are only active outside the brain. One, called Nav1.7, is like the fuse for a firecracker, Dr. Waxman said. A nerve cell activates Nav1.7. That signal, in turn, activates a second channel, Nav1.8, which, he said, sends electrical signals of pain to the brain. It seemed that a drug that could block Nav1.7 or Nav1.8 could be a potent pain medication that would have no effects on the brain, and therefore would not be addictive. (Dr. Waxman is not paid by Vertex, but does consult for other companies working on similar drugs.) But there was another piece of the puzzle: Were these lab results applicable to humans? If the lab work was predictive, people with mutations that made Nav1.7 or Nav1.8 fire constantly would be in constant pain. And people with the opposite mutation — one that blocked the channels — should feel no pain. Both sorts of mutations would be extremely rare, if they existed. Dr. Waxman contacted pain physicians across the entire Northern Hemisphere, asking if they had patients who had constant, intractable pain that could be caused by mutations that made Nav1.7 or Nav1.8 overactive. He came up empty-handed. Then, in 2004, the Erythromelalgia Association told him about a family in Alabama whose members were wracked with pain. Most had ended up addicted to opioids and were unable to go to school or to work. Their condition was called “Man on Fire syndrome.” Dr. Waxman and his colleagues found that the members of this family had a mutation in the Nav1.7 channel that made their pain nerves fire constantly. Another group of researchers reported that a family in Pakistan whose members felt no pain had a mutation that blocked the same channel from firing. People called them firewalkers because they could walk on hot coals and feel nothing, which they did for money. Vertex’s new drug, which blocks the Nav1.8 channel, is highly specific — the other sodium channels are left alone by the drug. Suzetrigine’s effects disappear when people stop taking the pills. But although people with acute pain might need such a drug, there is also another group that needs pain relief but has few good options — those who have damaged nerves that cause constant pain, called peripheral neuropathic pain. That group includes people with diabetes, which can make the hands or feet hurt or go numb, among other symptoms. And it includes people with lumbosacral radiculopathy, or pinched nerves in the spine. Sciatica is one form of this condition. In small studies, Vertex found that suzetrigine helped those with diabetic neuropathy, but was no better than placebo in those with pinched spinal nerves. But, Dr. Altshuler said, the company is going ahead with larger studies in both groups of patients. While analysts and researchers deemed the results disappointing in patients with pinched nerves in their spines, the company decided to proceed because there are no approved drugs for the painful condition, and because the drug is safe and “the mechanism of action is so clearly validated.” “No one has ever helped these four million people,” he said. Source link #FDA #Approves #Journavx #Drug #Treat #Pain #Addiction #Risk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

FDA Approves Journavx Drug to Treat Pain Without Addiction Risk FDA Approves Journavx Drug to Treat Pain Without Addiction Risk The Food and Drug Administration approved a new medication Thursday to treat pain from an injury or surgery. It is expensive, with a list price of $15.50 per pill. But unlike opioid pain medicines, it cannot become addictive. That is because the drug, suzetrigine, made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and to be sold as Journavx, works only on nerves outside the brain, blocking pain signals. It cannot get into the brain. Researchers say they expect it to be the first of a new generation of more powerful nonaddictive drugs to relieve pain. To test the drug, Vertex, which is based in Boston, conducted two large clinical trials, each with approximately 1,000 patients who had pain from surgery. They were randomly assigned to get a placebo; to get the opioid sold as Vicodin, a widely used combination pain medicine of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and hydrocodone; or to get suzetrigine. In one trial, patients had an abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck. In the other, they had a bunionectomy. Side effects of suzetrigine reported by patients were similar to the ones reported by those taking the placebo. The company also submitted data from a 250-person study that assessed the drug’s safety and tolerability in patients with pain from surgery, trauma or accidents. Suzetrigine eased pain as much as combination opioid. Both were better than the placebo at relieving pain. Suzetrigine’s price, though, is much higher than that of acetaminophen plus hydrocodone. Patients are expected to take two pills a day, for a total cost of $31 a day. The older drug, said Dr. John D. Loeser, an emeritus pain expert at the University of Washington is “dirt cheap” at pennies per pill. But suzetrigine does not have opioids’ unpleasant side effects like nausea and drowsiness, and it is nonaddictive. “There are a number of people who, once they have an opioid, want an opioid constantly,” Dr. Loeser said. About 85,000 people a year become addicted after taking a prescription opioid, said Dr. David Altshuler, chief scientific officer at Vertex. It’s a small proportion of the 40 million prescribed opioids each year for acute pain — from surgery, accidents or trauma — but is nonetheless a large number, he said. The story of suzetrigine began in the late 1990s with basic research by Dr. Stephen Waxman of Yale. He wondered how nerve cells signal pain to the brain. Nerve cells have nine sodium channels — tiny molecular batteries — that generate electrical signals. But, he discovered, two of those channels are only active outside the brain. One, called Nav1.7, is like the fuse for a firecracker, Dr. Waxman said. A nerve cell activates Nav1.7. That signal, in turn, activates a second channel, Nav1.8, which, he said, sends electrical signals of pain to the brain. It seemed that a drug that could block Nav1.7 or Nav1.8 could be a potent pain medication that would have no effects on the brain, and therefore would not be addictive. (Dr. Waxman is not paid by Vertex, but does consult for other companies working on similar drugs.) But there was another piece of the puzzle: Were these lab results applicable to humans? If the lab work was predictive, people with mutations that made Nav1.7 or Nav1.8 fire constantly would be in constant pain. And people with the opposite mutation — one that blocked the channels — should feel no pain. Both sorts of mutations would be extremely rare, if they existed. Dr. Waxman contacted pain physicians across the entire Northern Hemisphere, asking if they had patients who had constant, intractable pain that could be caused by mutations that made Nav1.7 or Nav1.8 overactive. He came up empty-handed. Then, in 2004, the Erythromelalgia Association told him about a family in Alabama whose members were wracked with pain. Most had ended up addicted to opioids and were unable to go to school or to work. Their condition was called “Man on Fire syndrome.” Dr. Waxman and his colleagues found that the members of this family had a mutation in the Nav1.7 channel that made their pain nerves fire constantly. Another group of researchers reported that a family in Pakistan whose members felt no pain had a mutation that blocked the same channel from firing. People called them firewalkers because they could walk on hot coals and feel nothing, which they did for money. Vertex’s new drug, which blocks the Nav1.8 channel, is highly specific — the other sodium channels are left alone by the drug. Suzetrigine’s effects disappear when people stop taking the pills. But although people with acute pain might need such a drug, there is also another group that needs pain relief but has few good options — those who have damaged nerves that cause constant pain, called peripheral neuropathic pain. That group includes people with diabetes, which can make the hands or feet hurt or go numb, among other symptoms. And it includes people with lumbosacral radiculopathy, or pinched nerves in the spine. Sciatica is one form of this condition. In small studies, Vertex found that suzetrigine helped those with diabetic neuropathy, but was no better than placebo in those with pinched spinal nerves. But, Dr. Altshuler said, the company is going ahead with larger studies in both groups of patients. While analysts and researchers deemed the results disappointing in patients with pinched nerves in their spines, the company decided to proceed because there are no approved drugs for the painful condition, and because the drug is safe and “the mechanism of action is so clearly validated.” “No one has ever helped these four million people,” he said. Source link #FDA #Approves #Journavx #Drug #Treat #Pain #Addiction #Risk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Expedition 33 secures a movie adaptation before it’s even released Expedition 33 secures a movie adaptation before it’s even released Hollywood has been turning to video games for source material quite a bit in recent years. And while their success rate has been improving (mostly), it’s a surprise to see a a movie adaptation announced before the game that inspired it has even been released. Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 clearly made a big impression on somebody important, because it will be turned into a live action movie from Story Kitchen. The fantasy RPG was part of Microsoft’s in August and was highlighted during last week’s . It’s slated for release on April 24. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Sandfall Interactive to bring the rich, immersive world of Expedition 33 to the big screen,” Story Kitchen founders Dmitri M. Johnson and Mike Goldberg told . “The game’s compelling narrative and complex characters provide a solid foundation for a cinematic experience that will resonate with both gamers and moviegoers alike.” Story Kitchen has been assembling quite the lineup of video games to translate to the big and small screens. The outfit, which was previously called dj2 Entertainment, has been attached to , , , and . Source link #Expedition #secures #movie #adaptation #released Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Federal investigators probe unusual betting patterns in NBA game – Marca English Federal investigators probe unusual betting patterns in NBA game – Marca English Federal investigators probe unusual betting patterns in NBA game Marca EnglishNBAer Terry Rozier under federal investigation for ******** gambling scheme, manipulating performance – The Athletic The New York TimesHeat’s Terry Rozier reportedly under federal investigation for involvement with ******** betting scheme Yahoo Sports Source link #Federal #investigators #probe #unusual #betting #patterns #NBA #game #Marca #English Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Chloe Kelly: Arsenal sign Manchester City and England forward on loan Chloe Kelly: Arsenal sign Manchester City and England forward on loan England forward Chloe Kelly has joined Arsenal on loan from Manchester City for the remainder of the season after a rollercoaster January transfer window. The 27-year-old was the subject of heavy speculation throughout the month as she searched for a move away from City. Rivals Manchester United had made an offer for the striker on deadline day but it was rejected by City before a loan agreement with Arsenal was struck. Kelly released a statement on Instagram, posted on Wednesday evening, saying she wanted “to be happy again” and did not see her future at City beyond the summer. Her contract is due to expire in June but Kelly, who has made just one Women’s Super League (WSL) start this season, was concerned about her place in the England squad with the 2025 European Championship taking place in July. She scored the winning goal against Germany when England created history by winning their first major women’s tournament at Euro 2022. Kelly added on Wednesday: “With the Euros fast approaching, this summer is a huge one and I want to be in a position to give it my best shot to represent my country. “However, to be dictated whom I can and can’t join with only four months left of the football season is having a huge impact on not only my career by my mental wellbeing. “The situation has been dragged on for too long, it’s disappointing and not right.” Her only WSL start this season came against West Ham in October but she hopes to secure a place in the England squad with regular minutes at Arsenal. Source link #Chloe #Kelly #Arsenal #sign #Manchester #City #England #loan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Royal Tasmanian: BBL star signs first overseas T20 deal Royal Tasmanian: BBL star signs first overseas T20 deal Mitch Owen has earned his first Twenty20 contract since a dazzling display in the Big Bash League final, joining South African franchise Paarl Royals. Owen scored a league-leading 452 runs for Hobart during the BBL, starting the summer as a relatively anonymous figure before announcing himself as a star. The highlight was the Tasmanian’s scarcely believable century in the final, coming off just 39 ****** as he delivered the Hurricanes their first title. Owen’s pressure-laden performance was widely expected to pique the interest of T20 clubs around the world, including the lucrative Indian Premier League. The 23-year-old will have to wait longer to find out if he will pocket a life-changing sum as a late call-up for the IPL. But the Royals have wasted no time in signing Owen as a replacement for former England captain Joe Root, who is linking up with his national squad in India. Root is unavailable for the rest of SA20, South Africa’s domestic league. League leaders Paarl and second-placed MI Cape Town, who have gun bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult and Rashid Khan in their squad, will square off in next week’s qualifier final. Ricky Ponting was among the good judges to lavish Owen with praise after his eye-catching knock in the BBL final. “There’s not many players in the world that can do that,” Ponting told AAP. Ponting noted discussion of Owen representing Australia in next year’s T20 World Cup was “inevitable”. Matthew Wade said Owen “can be anything”, adding “no stage really worries him too much”. Source link #Royal #Tasmanian #BBL #star #signs #overseas #T20 #deal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Apple iPhone sales dip despite AI rollout Apple iPhone sales dip despite AI rollout Sales of Apple iPhones dropped the end of last year, as the tech firm’s roll out of new artificial intelligence (AI) features was met with a lukewarm response. Chief executive Tim Cook said the new features helped to drive stronger sales in the countries where they were available, such as the US. But iPhone sales slipped about 1% overall compared with last year, to $69.1bn (£55bn). The company is also contending with other challenges, including a sales slowdown in China and the possibility its US sales will be by President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Apple has been gradually introducing AI features to its products, starting last year in the US. Investors have been hoping this will re-ignite sales, which have slowed as customers hold onto their phones and other products for longer. Mr Cook said Apple had seen a record number of purchases of new iPhones from people who already own older iPhones. The company said overall sales rose 4% to $124.3bn, lifted by a jump in its computer sales and strong growth in its services business, which includes Apple TV, Apple News and Apple Pay. Profits rose 7% year-on-year to $36.3bn. Source link #Apple #iPhone #sales #dip #rollout Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple’s gross margin hits record as services business keeps growing Apple’s gross margin hits record as services business keeps growing Omar Marques | Lightrocket | Getty Images Apple is struggling to squeeze growth out of its flagship iPhone unit, but its profit margin keeps going up thanks to a flourishing services business. In its fiscal first-quarter earnings report on Thursday, Apple reported a gross margin — the profit left after accounting for the cost of goods sold — of 46.9%. That’s the highest on record, surpassing the 46.6% margin the company record in the ******* ending March 2024. For Apple, services includes App Store purchases, advertising, payments, AppleCare support and other subscription offerings. The growth in those products has offset a slowdown in sales of the iPhone and a saturation in the global smartphone market. IPhone sales slipped almost 1% in the quarter from a year earlier, as the company reported weakness in Greater China. Total revenue rose almost 4% to $124.3 billion. Services revenue rose about 4% to $26.34 billion, beating analysts’ estimates. The business now accounts for roughly 21% of Apple’s overall revenue. Last quarter, Apple announced that its services unit had turned into a $100 billion a year business. “We were thrilled to bring customers our best-ever lineup of products and services during the holiday season,” CEO Tim Cook said in the press release. Cook’s emphasis on services has transformed Wall Street’s view of a company that’s been defined over the decades by its iconic devices. For many years in the iPhone era, Apple’s gross margin would predictably come in at between 38% and 39%, reflecting the company’s tight grip over its supply chain and its pricing power in the market. But with iPhone growth slowing in recent years, Apple’s move into services has changed the equation. The company hit a 40% gross margin in 2021 and has continued to expand it. Because of Wall Street’s love of profit, Apple’s been able to keep delivering for investors. The stock rose 31% last year, outperforming the Nasdaq, and the company’s market cap has climbed to $3.6 trillion. “We believe Apple deserves to trade at premiums to its historical comparable valuation, as it sets itself further apart as a provider of premium electronic consumer devices and high-margined digital services, and notably as the age of on-device generative AI gets underway,” analysts at Argus wrote in a report earlier this month. They recommend buying the stock. Apple shares rose more than 3% in extended trading after Thursday’s report. WATCH: Apple’s AI integration going to be very important moving forward Source link #Apples #gross #margin #hits #record #services #business #growing Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Five held in Gaza released by ****** Five held in Gaza released by ****** Paweena Ninbut and Jiraporn Sricham of BBC Thai and Flora DruryReporting fromBangkok and LondonBBC The five farm workers were taken hostage in October 2023 Five Thai farm workers who were abducted during the 7 October attacks by ****** on Israel have been released after being held for almost 500 days in Gaza. They were handed over to the Red Cross during chaotic scenes along with two Israelis, shortly after a first Israeli hostage was freed. Pongsak Thaenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Saethao and Surasak Lamnao had all been working in southern Israel when they were kidnapped during the attacks in October 2023. Thailand’s prime minister said she was elated to hear news of their release and her government was working with Israel “so that they can reunite with their families soonest”. One Thai hostage remains unaccounted for. “The Thai government, including everyone here in Thailand, have long been waiting for this very moment,” PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on social media. “I hold on to my hope that the remaining Thai national will be released and returned to us safely and speedily.” For the families of the released hostages, it was a day they had long been waiting for. Wilas Thaenna wept after receiving a call to say his son Pongsak had been freed on Thursday. “I never thought this day would come, everything has been too quiet for a while,” the 65-year-old told the BBC. He revealed he had barely slept the night before, as he was so excited at the prospect of his son being released. “I don’t know how to explain how I got through all that happened,” he continued. “My son was taken captive, I lost my wife, I had to stay strong. “First five or six months, I’ve lost so much weight. It was distressing, I didn’t have strength to do anything or go anywhere. I was worried all the time. “When I see him, I’m going to give him a hug and tell him to come home.” Reuters Wiwwaew Sriaoun thanked God for the release of her son Wiwwaew Sriaoun also sobbed as it was confirmed her son Watchara had been released. “The first thing I want to do is to hug my son and tell him I miss him very much,” she said. “His daughter, Nudee, was also happy. She has been praying every day for her daddy to return.” She said all of Watchara’s relatives have come to her home in Udon Thani province to closely monitor the news. “I’ve had hopes but I also lost hopes several times already,” she said, adding she received a call on Wednesday night but wasn’t sure if her son would still be alive. She too was unable to sleep, revealing to AFP news agency she and her husband had gone rubber tapping on their farm in the early hours of the morning. Sirinna Suwannakham, the younger sister of freed hostage Sathian, said her family had only managed to keep the hope alive because they had no proof he had been killed. “If he had died, we would have had a body to hold a ceremony,” she said. “But there was none. So we never lost hope. We always believed that my brother was still alive. We never gave up. We always waited for him to come home.” Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv This picture of the five men was shared by the Thai embassy in Israel The released hostages will now be taken to hospital in Israel, after being met by Thai government officials. Thirty-one Thai workers were taken hostage in the October 2023 attacks, the Thai government has said previously. Another 39 were killed on the day. The majority were released in November 2023, leaving just eight in Gaza, according to officials. It is believed two have since died, while the fate of the final hostage – Nattapong Pinta – is not known. Nearly all of the foreign workers abducted during the attack were Thais. Israel employs some 30,000 of them as farm labour, making them one of the largest migrant groups in the country. The release is part of a separate agreement between ****** and the Thai government – it’s not part of the Israel-****** ceasefire deal agreed on 19 January. Source link #held #Gaza #released #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Tragedy hits Congress' favorite airport Tragedy hits Congress' favorite airport America’s worst air disaster in a generation happened at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and its powerful frequent flyers are watching the aftermath intently. Members of Congress have an intimate relationship with the airport, which is a 10-minute drive from Capitol Hill and is used by hundreds of lawmakers as a commuter hub. They’ve also taken an unusually active role in managing it, and lawmakers were quick to offer condolences, share observations, assert oversight authority and otherwise insert themselves after the deadly ******. “It is the American airport,” said Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.), who said Reagan National isn’t just the most convenient airport for lawmakers. “It’s the place where citizens all over the country come to lobby their members of Congress, their US senators on issues of extreme importance to them.” That observation has been used to justify decades of congressional interventions into the airport’s operations. An act of Congress governs how many flights can come in and out of it and how far they can fly. Then-Speaker Newt Gingrich and congressional Republicans renamed it for the 40th president over local objections in 1998. And it’s so frequently trafficked by lawmakers that Capitol Police are frequently on site to protect lawmakers who have sometimes been accosted there by vocal fellow flyers. And it is now presaging an active effort by multiple congressional committees to probe aspects of the ******, which is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Leaders of the House Transportation and Senate Commerce committees have announced plans to monitor the response, as have the chambers’ Armed Services panels, given the involvement of a military helicopter. Already the disaster has placed a spotlight on the many connections between Reagan National and Capitol Hill. A direct-to-DCA route is highly coveted by many lawmakers, who frequently lobby airlines to get one for their home states and districts — as Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) did for the inbound-from-Wichita jet that crashed into an Army helicopter while on approach to Reagan Wednesday. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, which is believed to have killed 67, members of the Washington-area congressional delegation were quick to revisit a fierce debate over the heavy aviation traffic at and around the airport. Local lawmakers who have fielded years of constituent noise complaints opposed an effort to add additional flight slots, arguing it would further strain the busy Washington airspace. A bipartisan group of lawmakers overruled those objections, adding five round-trip flights to benefit their constituents (and themselves). “I’ve been praying that there wouldn’t have been something like last night, but kind of dreading in my heart that there would be,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who opposed adding the new flights. There is no direct evidence that the additional daily traffic played a role in Wednesday’s ******. More broadly, the tragedy is prompting shock and reflection among lawmakers who might have themselves been victims had the mid-air collision happened at a different time, to a different plane. It’s not the first time a Washington air tragedy has made an impact on Capitol Hill. After the January 1982 ****** of an Air Florida jetliner, Reagan himself invited Congressional Budget Office worker Lenny Skutnik to his State of the Union address two weeks later — paying tribute to Skutnik for diving into the icy Potomac to save a stricken passenger. Today, cars can be seen idling along the Capitol’s East Front on “fly-out” days, waiting to whisk members across the Potomac River to the Reagan National terminal. Major airlines employ staff solely devoted to handling lawmakers’ reservations into and out of the airport. “The last time I flew out of DCA it occurred to me there was a lot of traffic in and around the area, and it felt like something like this could happen,” said Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). “It’s devastating to see a ****** like this and absorb what was supposed to be a safe flight for everyone end in such devastation.” “I fly on American Airlines all the time, on that same approach, twice a week and so it could happen to anybody,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). “It brings to light how one little mistake can create such a tragedy, and you hate it for all the people involved, but you know, hopefully we can get to the bottom of it and find out what happened.” To that end, various House committees received briefings from the FAA and NTSB on the incident Thursday. One House Transportation Committee member, granted anonymity to describe private discussions on the panel, said a hearing on the ****** is likely to be scheduled soon. As with all things on Capitol Hill, larger political considerations have lingered over members’ public response to the tragedy. The early suggestion from a small handful of conservatives that diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be at fault was turbocharged when President Donald Trump cited that as a possible cause at a Thursday afternoon news conference. In turn, some Democrats, including Torres, pointed to Trump’s decision to attack federal workers as a precipitating factor. But many others cautioned against a rush to judgment. Once a cause is firmly identified, Congress could play a role in enacting legislation to prevent another similar ****** — as it did after the 2009 ****** of Colgan Air flight near Buffalo, New York, toughening the regulations for regional airlines and pilot fatigue standards. Former Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), an ex-chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said it would be hard for Congress to avoid revisiting just how much traffic is packed into the airspace surrounding Reagan National — and Congress’ efforts to pack more flights in. “I’m not going to say that was a cause of this, but it is an incredibly hectic corridor between the military traffic and the commercial traffic and, of course, other helicopters,” he said. “I would hope that members of Congress would back off on pressuring the airport for more and more direct flights to serve them and heed both the concerns of the airport and potentially of the FAA and air traffic control.” Several sitting members agreed, including Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), a Transportation Committee member. Burchett said in an interview that he wants to review air traffic control transcripts and reexamine Congress’ decision to allow more Reagan National flights. “I’ve flown in there over a hundred times, I’m always amazed at the amount of traffic,” Burchett said. But that doesn’t mean he or fellow lawmakers are ready to give up on their convenient air hub. Tuberville said he didn’t see much of an alternative to his weekly winged commute to and from Auburn, Alabama: “Beats driving.” Source link #Tragedy #hits #Congress039 #favorite #airport Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

New Zealand’s Mount Taranaki gets same legal rights as a person New Zealand’s Mount Taranaki gets same legal rights as a person A settlement under which a New Zealand mountain has been granted the same legal right as a person has become law after years of negotiations. It means Taranaki Maunga [Mt Taranaki] will effectively own itself, with representatives of the local tribes, iwi, and government working together to manage it. The agreement aims to compensate Māori from the Taranaki region for injustices done to them during colonisation – including widespread land confiscation. “We must acknowledge the hurt that has been caused by past wrongs, so we can look to the future to support iwi to realise their own aspirations and opportunities,” Paul Goldsmith, the government minister responsible for the negotiations, said. The Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill was passed into law by New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday – giving the mountain a legal name and protecting its surrounding peaks and land. It also recognises the Māori worldview that natural features, including mountains, are ancestors and living beings. “Today, Taranaki, our maunga [mountain], our maunga tupuna [ancestral mountain], is released from the shackles, the shackles of injustice, of ignorance, of hate,” said Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, co-leader of political party Te Pāti Māori [the Māori Party]. Ngarewa-Packer is among one of the eight Taranaki iwi, on New Zealand’s west coast, to whom the mountain is sacred. Hundreds of other Māori from the area also turned up at parliament on Thursday to see the bill become law. The mountain will no longer be officially known as Egmont – the named given to it by British explorer James Cook in the 18th Century – and instead be called Taranaki Maunga, while the surrounding national park will also be given its Māori name. Aisha Campbell, who is also from a Taranaki iwi, told 1News that it was important for her to be at the event, and that the mountain “is what connects us and what binds us together as a people”. The Taranaki Maunga settlement is the latest that has been reached with Māori in an attempt to provide compensation for breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi – which established New Zealand as a country and granted indigenous people certain rights to their land and resources. The settlement also came with an apology from the government for the confiscation of Mt Taranaki and more than a million acres of land from local Māori in the 1860s. Paul Goldsmith acknowledged that the “breaches of the Treaty mean that immense and compounding harm have been inflicted upon the whānau [wider family], hapū [sub-tribe] and iwi of Taranaki, causing immeasurable harm over many decades”. He added that it had been agreed that access to the mountain would not change and that “all New Zealanders will be able to continue to visit and enjoy this most magnificent place for generations to come”. The mountain is not the first of New Zealand’s natural feature’s to be granted legal personhood. In 2014, the Urewera native forest became the first to gain such status, followed by the Whanganui River in 2017. Source link #Zealands #Mount #Taranaki #legal #rights #person Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Combative Trump takes aim at DEI policies after air tragedy Combative Trump takes aim at DEI policies after air tragedy President Trump says ****** “could have been” a result of diversity hiring – but provided no evidence Donald Trump stood before the White House press room cameras on Thursday to perform a traditional presidential duty – consoler-in-chief during a time of tragedy. He said the country was in mourning, shared his condolences during “an hour of anguish” and paid tribute to first responders and the victims. Then he sharply pivoted – providing yet another reminder of how his new presidency is going to be very different. It will be combative. It will be unscripted. And it will be quick to point the finger of blame. “We do not know what led to this ******, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” he said. He then speculated that lowered standards of hiring for air traffic controllers in the Federal Aviation Administration during the Joe Biden and Barack Obama presidencies may have been a factor in the disaster. Trump and his fellow Republicans have regularly attacked “diversity, equity and inclusion” programmes in the federal government. His team has made undoing such programmes a core part of their first days in office, saying they have divided Americans and weakened the country. And less than 24 hours after the first major US air disaster in more than a decade, Trump – along with his secretaries of transportation and defence, and his vice-president – took turns hammering their point, even as they provided no evidence that federal hiring practices had any connection to this particular ******. Asked by a reporter how he could blame diversity programmes for the ****** when the investigation had only just begun, the president responded: “Because I have common sense.” At other moments, he acknowledged there was no confirmed cause, saying “it’s all under investigation”. Trump said the hiring guidance for the FAA’s diversity and inclusion programme included preference for those with disabilities involving “hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism”. An archived version of a website for the FAA’s diversity and inclusion hiring programme that appears to have been taken down in December included a similar list. The agency was seeking people with “targeted disabilities” that the federal government was prioritising for recruitment at the time. But it’s unclear how that drive to make recruitment more diverse may have impacted the ranks of air traffic controllers, who President Trump said needed to all be “naturally talented geniuses”. The FAA has more than 35,000 employees, only a fraction of which perform that role. In response to criticisms over diversity hiring practices last year, the agency released a statement asserting that all new hires must meet “rigorous qualifications” that “vary by position”. The agency has faced criticism over a longstanding shortage of air traffic controllers, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic caused massive disruptions in commercial air travel. Reports suggest that staffing levels at Reagan airport on Wednesday night may have been compromised. In his remarks, Trump specifically blamed Biden administration Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whom he described with an obscenity and said had ran the department “into the ground”. Buttigieg defended his record on social media, calling Trump’s comments “despicable”. “As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying,” he said. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also criticised Trump’s comments. “It’s one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracies, it’s another for the President of the United States to throw out idle speculation as bodies are still being recovered,” Schumer said. Once he departed from his prepared remarks, however, speculation was what President Trump seemed most interested in offering. Along with his condemnation of DEI policies, he offered extended discussion of the angles and elevation at which the two aircraft were flying, the weather conditions on Wednesday night, the temperature of the Potomac and the behaviour of the Army helicopter. “We had a situation where we had a helicopter that had an ability to stop,” he said. “For some reason, it just kept going.” Two things were very clear from Trump’s remarks on Thursday. The first is that his eagerness to inject himself into a major news story is undiminished in his new term. And the second is that in his view it is never too soon to inject politics into national tragedy – and use it to attack opponents and advance his agenda. Source link #Combative #Trump #takes #aim #DEI #policies #air #tragedy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The Nicholas Cage-Starring Dracula Flick Renfield Is Getting A 4K Steelbook Edition Soon The Nicholas Cage-Starring Dracula Flick Renfield Is Getting A 4K Steelbook Edition Soon You’ve probably seen a hundred Dracula movies by now, but back in 2023, there was a neat twist on that iconic character with the release of Renfield. Dracula’s hapless minion got to shine for once, and with Nicolas Cage playing the infamous pain in the neck, the movie was a sleeper hit with critics and fans. A new 4K steelbook edition of it is set to be released on April, and you can preorder it through Walmart for $33. $33 Starring Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road and X-Men: First Class) as Dracula’s long-suffering servant Renfield, the film follows the lackey as he attempts to break free from the shadow of his master and start living for himself. The only problem? Dracula is having none of that and he’s out for blood–quite literally. Special features for this version haven’t been confirmed yet, but if it does inherit the extras from the previous Blu-ray releases, you can expect deleted and extended scenes, a short documentary on how Cage brought his version of Dracula to life, and the usual assortment of trailers. While fans only have to wait until April for the new Renfield 4K steelbook edition to launch, but those who want to pick up the film now–and don’t mind foregoing the new steelbook case–can pick up the standard Blu-ray edition fro just $10, or the 4K Collector’s Edition for $40 at Amazon. More Renfield Blu-rays If you’re looking for a more traditional take on Dracula, there’s also the recent Nosferatu remake that stars Nicholas Hoult alongside Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok, aka the nefarious vampire Nosferatu. Directed by Robert Eggers, critics have praised the film as a faithful reimagining of the 1922 movie of the same name–which, in fact, was created as a legally-distinct rip-off of the classic Dracula tale. Preorders for the 4K Blu-ray release are available now, including a Limited Edition Steelbook version. A standard 4K Blu-ray edition is also available to preorder. If you’re looking for even more vampire flicks, we’ve rounded up a list of other releases to add to your Blu-ray collection. Some notable picks include Mel Brooks’ 1995 classic Dracula: Dead and Loving It, which riffs on the Bram Stoker source material and stars the late Leslie Nielsen as the lord of vampires. The Blu-ray version is available for $25 at Amazon. Back to the serious side of vampires, no collection of box office bloodsuckers would be complete without Blade. The character portrayed by Wesley Snipes is still regarded as the coolest vampire-slayer of all time, and judging by the development hell that the MCU Blade movie project is currently, the only version of that character. You can pick up a 4K cut of Blade in both standard and steelbook formats. If you’d like the whole collection, there is a standard Blu-ray Blade box set available, which includes the original film, its excellent sequel, and Blade 3 on a disc that’s best used as a drinks coaster. Other recommendations in this genre would include Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula movie–mostly to have a giggle at Keanu Reeves attempting a British accent–cult-classic The Lost Boys, the rock-solid action movie Dracula Untold, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter for another spooky take on Bram Stoker’s greatest literary creation. You also can’t go wrong with a Dracula movie starring Christopher Lee as the fanged menace, and for some comfort junk food, the Van Helsing film with Hugh Jackman as the supernatural exterminator is still a fun romp. More Vampire Movie Blu-rays Source link #Nicholas #CageStarring #Dracula #Flick #Renfield #Steelbook #Edition Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

No targets for flying or farming in *** climate plan No targets for flying or farming in *** climate plan The *** has restated ambitious plans to reduce its emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases by 81% by 2035, but has not explained how it will achieve the goal. In a new action plan submitted to the United Nations, the government also signed up to global goals to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. However, it has not set targets for sectors like farming, aviation, or energy to address those sectors’ contributions to climate change. The UN called the plans “bold” and told other countries to follow suit. The announcement from Energy and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband comes a day after many environmentalists criticised the government’s backing of a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer originally announced the emissions plans in November. All nations which signed the United Nations’ (UN) landmark Paris climate agreement in 2015 are obliged to submit climate action plans, which are called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in UN jargon, every five years. Together the strategies are designed to ramp up action globally until the world reaches net zero – the point when no more greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere – and keeps the global temperature rise at 1.5C. The government’s new NDC lists plans already announced, including a goal of producing 95% of electricity from clean energy sources by 2030. It also formally signed up the *** to the global goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030. Dr Robin Lamboll, from Imperial College London, says the ***’s plan “doesn’t have any ****** surprises”, but is not “particularly inspiring”. He also said it gave a sense of “normality” to the Paris agreement after US President Donald Trump pledged to leave the treaty. Sir Keir was hailed a global climate leader in November when he announced the ***’s new emissions target. The latest plans confirm that position, says Prof Joeri Rogelj, from Imperial College London. He said it “follows the advice of [the government’s] scientific advisory committee”, but says that policies must follow, in order to fulfil the ambitious promises. Miliband said more details will be published soon, and that emissions from international aviation or shipping will be accounted for in plans that begin in 2033 in the Sixth Carbon Budget. The Budget advises the government on the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions that can be produced between 2033 and 2037 if the *** is to fulfil its climate targets. UN climate chief Simon Stiell called on other countries to submit their plans, saying “no-one can afford to miss out”. The plans must be received before 10 February, ahead of the next UN climate summit COP30 in Brazil in November. Source link #targets #flying #farming #climate #plan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Netflix will stream its 2025 Tudum event on Netflix Netflix will stream its 2025 Tudum event on Netflix Netflix’s next Tudum fan event will take place on May 31 in Los Angeles. For the first time, the company will stream the event live on its own platform. Past iterations have been livestreamed on YouTube, Twitch and Netflix’s social channels. Tudum, which is meant to sound like the audio effect that plays at the start of any Netflix program, is the streaming business’ showcase of its content lineup. The company has used this event in previous years to share behind-the-scenes tidbits and first looks at upcoming programming. The 2023 Tudum drew 11,000 attendees in São Paulo, Brazil and 78 million viewers streamed it, according to the company. While there will probably be some fun announcements and reveals, the most notable takeaway is that Netflix is pushing more definitively into the live event space. A in 2023 was the company’s first livestream. It also snapped up the rights to livestream the on its platform and hosted between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul in 2024. However, the Tyson/Paul match had extensive technical issues. Airing its own event and keeping those millions of eyeballs on its own platform will be positive steps for the company’s ambitions in this space. Assuming everything works. Source link #Netflix #stream #Tudum #event #Netflix Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Man United, Spurs clinch last 16 Europa League berths Man United, Spurs clinch last 16 Europa League berths Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur shrugged off their Premier League woes as they clinched last 16 berths in the Europa League. Thursday’s victories at Romania’s FCSB and against Sweden’s Elfsborg, respectively, will relieve some pressure on Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim and his Spurs counterpart Ange Postecoglou. United failed to break through in the first half but Diogo Dalot slotted home at the far post on the hour after Alejandro Garnacho was denied by the outside post shortly after coming on at the break. Kobbie Mainoo then clinched the 2-0 win in the 68th minute. Spurs fans also had to wait for the second half to celebrate before Postecoglou got his substitutions spot on. Dane Scarlett headed home in the 70th and then set up fellow youngster Damola Ajayi in the 84th. Mikey Moore wrapped up the 3-0 success as their academy graduates shone. United finished the league stage unbeaten in third behind Italy’s Lazio and Athletic Bilbao of Spain, and ahead of Spurs. Lazio were the only team to be assured of a last-16 spot before Thursday, and could afford a 1-0 defeat at Portugal’s Braga, who were eliminated despite Ricardo Horta’s early winner. Eintracht Frankfurt, Olympique Lyon, Greek side Olympiacos and Scotland’s Rangers also avoided an extra play-off tie. The 2022 winners Frankfurt lost 2-0 at Roma from Angelina’s volley and substitute Eldor Shomurodov, with the hosts clinching a berth in the play-offs which are drawn on Friday and played February 13 and 20. Like FCSB, Belgium’s Anderlecht crashed out of the top eight and must go through the play-offs after losing 4-3 at home against Germany’s Hoffenheim, for whom victory came too late to avoid elimination. Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce got the last play-off berth, one goal better than Braga, with a 2-2 draw at Denmark’s Midtjylland, with veteran striker Edin Dzeko setting up the first from Youssef En-Nesyri and scoring the second himself. Ajax beat Galatasaray 2-1 as both reached the play-offs, and so did Porto thanks to a 1-0 at Maccabi Tel Aviv, while Twente defeated Besiktas 1-0 to advance and eliminate the Istanbul side. Source link #Man #United #Spurs #clinch #Europa #League #berths Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Over 3 Million People Couldn’t Help But Relate To This Woman’s Frustration Over Her Male DoorDash Shopper Who Only Got One Item Right Over 3 Million People Couldn’t Help But Relate To This Woman’s Frustration Over Her Male DoorDash Shopper Who Only Got One Item Right “This Is F—ing Annoying”: Over 3 Million People Couldn’t Help But Relate To This Woman’s Frustration Over Her Male DoorDash Shopper Who Only Got One Item Right Source link #Million #People #Couldnt #Relate #Womans #Frustration #Male #DoorDash #Shopper #Item Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Midnight Society Has Announced It’s Shutting Down Midnight Society Has Announced It’s Shutting Down Midnight Society has announced that it will be cancelling its NFT-backed extraction shooter, DEADROP, with 55 developers affected. Announced on X (formerly Twitter), Midnight Society wrote: Today we are announcing Midnight Society will be closing its doors after three incredible years, with an amazing team of over 55 developers contributing to our new IP DEADROP. We are actively seeking other game studios that would be interested in offering employment opportunities to our talented team members. If you know anyone who’s hiring please forward this message to them or DM us for direct intros. We express our sincere gratitude to each and every one of our community members and deeply sorry we were unable to reach our ultimate goal. Midnight Society was originally founded by Robert Bowling of Call of Duty fame and content creator Dr Disrespect. However, following a series of allegations being levelled at the streamer last year, it was announced that Dr Disrespect would no longer be working at the studio. After those events unfolded, Midnight Society’s leadership team insisted that Guy ‘Dr Disrespect’ Beahm was little more than an influencer and marketer for the brand, but the shamed streamer claimed he was much more important to the project. Could his removal from the company have been a factor in this house of cards collapsing in on itself? DEADROP was poised to be a ‘vertical extraction shooter’ fused with the blockchain and featuring NFT-driven mechanics. In a series of ‘snippets’ released during the game’s development cycle, players were invited to get early access to the title – myself included – and it wasn’t anything to write home about. Let us know what you think about this news on the Insider Gaming forum. For more Insider Gaming, check out our official Guides Hub. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Midnight #Society #Announced #Shutting Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump says US could soon put 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada – Reuters Canada Trump says US could soon put 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada – Reuters Canada Trump says US could soon put 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada Reuters CanadaTrump’s tariffs loom and even his supporters in Texas are nervous The Texas TribuneTrump Threatens Tariffs Over Immigration, Drugs and Greenland The New York TimesTrump promises tariffs on Canada, Mexico on Feb. 1 AxiosTrump tariffs: What could they mean for Mexico and Canada? DW (English) Source link #Trump #put #tariffs #goods #Mexico #Canada #Reuters #Canada Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump Dissolves Arts Committee Previously Restored by Biden Trump Dissolves Arts Committee Previously Restored by Biden The Trump administration has quietly dissolved the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, part of a flurry of executive orders aimed at rolling back the previous administration’s policies on art, culture and historical commemoration. The move was part of President Trump’s first executive order, issued on Inauguration Day, that reversed more than two dozen “harmful executive orders and actions” taken by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. That order has drawn attention for its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, which has left federal museums and cultural organizations uncertain how to respond. The dissolution of the arts committee, made without comment from the White House, has been little noticed. At some point, its website was taken down. Since it was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1982, the committee has brought together prominent artists, powerful allies of the president, academics and museum professionals to advise on cultural policy. Members have included the singer Frank Sinatra; the cellist Yo-Yo Ma; Terry Semel, a former chairman of Warner Bros.; and Robert Menschel, a former Goldman Sachs partner. In the 1990s, it petitioned President Bill Clinton to restore funding for public arts education, to require high school students to have competency in a foreign language, and to expand tax incentives for cultural philanthropy. Under President Barack Obama, the committee developed Turnaround Arts, an experimental initiative to boost arts education in the nation’s lowest-performing schools. The committee was nonpartisan. But during the first Trump administration, it inadvertently became a showcase for the mutual antagonism between Mr. Trump and what he has often derided as out-of-touch cultural elites. In August 2017, 17 members resigned in protest over Mr. Trump’s response to the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. In a group open letter, members including the artist Chuck Close, the novelist Jhumpa Lahiri and the architect Thom Mayne criticized what they said was Mr. Trump’s “support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans.” The White House then issued a statement saying Mr. Trump had already been planning to disband the group, calling it “not a responsible way to spend American tax dollars.” Nearly two years into his administration, in September 2022, Mr. Biden revived the group, calling the arts “the soul of America, reflecting our multicultural and democratic experience.” His executive order cited the importance of the arts and humanities in tackling “the greatest challenges of our time, such as the climate crisis and the scourge of hate-fueled violence.” In April 2023, Mr. Biden named 31 members, including prominent figures like George Clooney, Jon Batiste and Shonda Rhimes as well as museum curators, academics and the leaders of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Smithsonian. The co-chairs were the singer Lady Gaga and the producer Bruce Cohen, a Biden supporter who also received a National Medal of Arts that same year. The committee, which had an annual budget of roughly $335,000, met six times after resuming operations. Its activities, according to public records, included reviewing a proposal for a campaign to combat the loneliness epidemic identified by Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former surgeon general. Records do not indicate how many members of the group actively participated, or the range of subjects on which it offered advice. Its final meeting was held on Jan. 9. Steve Israel, a former Democratic U.S. representative from New York who served on the committee, said he was disturbed by Mr. Trump’s move. “Not only did he fire us all, but he disbanded the actual committee,” Mr. Israel said. “It suggests that there’s a proactive hostility toward arts and humanities.” The dissolution of the committee was just one of the Trump administration’s recent actions touching on cultural matters, most of which reversed Mr. Biden’s initiatives or restored Trump efforts that Mr. Biden had undone. On Wednesday, in an order dedicated to K-12 education, Mr. Trump revived his 1776 Commission, which he created in 2020 to promote “patriotic education.” In a separate order, he reinstated his call for the creation of a National Garden of American Heroes and his executive order protecting monuments on federal land from vandalism. That second order, titled “Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday,” reiterated Mr. Trump’s calls for a robust celebration of the Semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, in July 2026. As part of that, he announced a task force, led by him, that would “plan, organize and execute an extraordinary celebration.” The order provided no details on funding or programming but specified that the task force would be housed within the Department of Defense. Source link #Trump #Dissolves #Arts #Committee #Previously #Restored #Biden Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bishop of Warrington comes forward as Bishop of Liverpool John Perumbalath accuser Bishop of Warrington comes forward as Bishop of Liverpool John Perumbalath accuser Jonny Humphries & Tom Mullen BBC News Church of England Bishop of Warrington Bev Mason said recent days had been “excruciating” The Bishop of Warrington has identified herself as one of the women who had accused the Bishop of Liverpool of ******* misconduct. The Right Reverend Bev Mason released a letter accusing the Church of England of “not properly and satisfactorily” addressing concerns about the Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath. Bishop Perumbalath announced he was stepping down earlier following allegations outlined in a Channel 4 News programme. He said he “consistently denied” any wrongdoing but was resigning to avoid becoming a “distraction”. One woman had accused the bishop of kissing her without consent and groping her in Chelmsford in Essex, where the clergyman was Bishop of Bradwell. Another woman told Channel 4 News she was ********* harassed by him. Bishop Mason confirmed she was the second complainant but said she had chosen to “distance herself” from the “media activity” since the allegations were publicised. The Cheshire bishop said in her letter: “My prayer is that now things have been brought into the light, there will be no more defensiveness but an honest scrutiny of what we are doing, how we are doing it, where the gaps sit and how we address them.” Bishop Mason was formerly the acting Bishop of Liverpool before Bishop Perumbalath was enthroned in 2023. Church of England The Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath said he had “consistently denied the allegations” She said in March 2023 she was made aware of a complaint against Bishop Perumbalath which involved an investigation by the church’s National Safeguarding Team. She said she then raised “what I believed to be significant concerns” including her own allegations. Since that time, she said she had “remained consistent” in her pursuit of “proper ecclesiastical judicial process”. “The focus of my concerns centred around due process,” she wrote. “A bishop cannot be above the law.” Addressing the Diocese of Liverpool, she said: “I am only too mindful of the turmoil, shock and bruising that you will be reeling from as a result of these past days as you have tried to make sense of this and my long and terrible absence. “For my part, I am deeply sorry for my absence and silence. It has been excruciating.” ‘Open conversation’ Police in Essex had concluded no further action was needed over one allegation in the Channel 4 investigation, while the Church of England said its investigation had also found no case to answer. However, church leaders called for Bishop Perumbalath to step aside, saying his position was “untenable”. Julie Conalty, the Bishop of Birkenhead and deputy lead bishop for safeguarding, agreed that Bishop Perumbalath “needed to step back” but said he had not had “the chance to defend himself”. The bishop told BBC Radio 4: “It feels to me that it may have been unfair to all parties. “It strikes me that the bishop has not had a chance to defend himself in tribunal and nor have the complainants been able to go to tribunal with the complaint.” She said there were questions over whether church processes served both victims and those who had been accused. “Our complaint processes are not trauma-informed, they don’t serve victims and survivors well,” she added. She added that the church needed to have a “more open conversation” about misogyny faced by female clergy. The Church of England has been contacted for comment. Source link #Bishop #Warrington #Bishop #Liverpool #John #Perumbalath #accuser Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]