Pelican Press

Trump signs executive orders to reshape the military, including banning transgender troops – CNN Trump signs executive orders to reshape the military, including banning transgender troops – CNN Trump signs executive orders to reshape the military, including banning transgender troops CNNTrump reinstates military members who refused COVID vaccine AxiosTrump directs Pentagon to come up with transgender troop policy that likely sets in motion a future ban on their service Yahoo! VoicesTrump signs military-focused executive orders addressing transgender service members, COVID-19, diversity CBS News Source link #Trump #signs #executive #orders #reshape #military #including #banning #transgender #troops #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Grass greener as rebuilt Waratahs address injury curse Grass greener as rebuilt Waratahs address injury curse NSW Waratahs prop Angus Bell reckons the grass is already greener under new coach Dan McKellar, whose first order of business was to address the “crap field” they train on. The former ACT Brumbies coach and Wallabies assistant has returned from a stint at Leicester to lead a Waratahs side that won just twice and finished last in 2024. The squad has been bolstered by the arrival of Test stars Taniela Tupou, Andrew Kellaway and Rob Leota from the defunct Melbourne Rebels. They will also have the services of NRL recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii when the season begins against the Highlanders on February 14. But by that stage last year Darren Coleman’s side was already wounded, an 11-strong preseason injury list quickly swelling in what was Coleman’s third and final season in charge. Bell (toe) was among 10 contracted forwards to suffer season-ending injuries while six others were hobbled in a forgettable campaign. McKellar “did a lot of research” when he arrived but admitted one look out his office window at the Daceyville surface revealed plenty. “The field wasn’t great when I turned up, that’s for sure,” he said on Tuesday. “(If) you’re training on a crap field, then that’s going to load up your tendons and your joints and your muscles and that sort of thing. “So if it’s rock hard, you know what I mean? “It’s improved significantly … the program’s very, very different now. “I’ve got no idea what they did last year, but we’ve worked really hard to ensure …. we don’t do that, expose players (to injury). “We’ve got to take them all the way to the edge, but not push them over the edge. “And so far we’ve been pretty fortunate on the injury front.” Bell was among 42 fit and available players to endure the taxing Sydney heat under his former Test scrum coach and McKellar’s set piece “guru” Dan Palmer, who followed him home from Leicester and coached Bell as a schoolkid. “The turf last year was terrible … my body didn’t like that field,” Bell said. “You do 90 per cent of your work … on a (training) field. “So it’s awesome that now we can go on the field and get better and … not have to really worry about the injury stuff.” McKellar will face his old side (ACT Brumbies) in a trial game in Bowral on Saturday. “Great friendships, relationships, great memories,” he said of his time in Canberra. “My intent is to build the same (at the Waratahs). “We’ll compete hard a couple of times a year and no doubt enjoy a cold beer in the sheds afterwards.” Bell, 24, has played more Tests (36) than Super Rugby games (30) since making his Wallabies debut in 2021. “I’ve been stuck on the sidelines watching something unfold that obviously wasn’t good,” Bell said. “A lot of us boys are definitely highly motivated in changing that narrative around us. “It’s been a poor two years, we know that.” Source link #Grass #greener #rebuilt #Waratahs #address #injury #curse Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra Teaser Hints At a ‘Makeover’ Ahead of Global Launch Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra Teaser Hints At a ‘Makeover’ Ahead of Global Launch Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra will launch globally on February 6. The handset is expected to have features similar to those of the ROG Phone 9, which was introduced in select markets in November 2024. A recent company teaser shows the design of the front panel and hints at “a makeover.” The upcoming smartphone is said to arrive as a successor to the Zenfone 11 Ultra, which was unveiled in March 2024. It could get a redesigned rear camera module over the existing variant. Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra Teaser Asus has shared a teaser for the upcoming Zenfone 12 Ultra handset in an X post. In the accompanying image, we can see the front panel of the handset. It appears to have slim bezels with a centred hole-punch slot at the top to hold the front camera. In the post caption, the company teased that the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra has received “a makeover.” This suggests a redesign over the current Zenfone 11 Ultra version. The poster highlights the letter ‘O’ in the phrase “Coming Soon” with a circular camera sensor. This could suggest that the upcoming handset may get a redesigned rear camera module. We can expect to learn more about the phone in the days to come. The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra has previously appeared on Geekbench with the model number ASUSAI2501H. It is expected to get a Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC paired with 16GB of RAM. The phone will likely run on Android 15 with the ZenUI skin on top. It is expected to have integrated artificial intelligence (AI) features which are said to offer improved imaging and editing experiences. Early reports have suggested that the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra will likely have similar features as the ROG Phone 9. It could get a 5,800mAh battery with 65W wired and 15W wireless charging support as well as a 6.78-inch full-HD+ AMOLED LTPO display with up to 165Hz refresh rate. For optics, it may sport a triple rear camera unit with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra wide-angle shooter, and a 5-megapixel macro camera at the back and a 32-megapixel selfie camera. 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. Apple Rolls Out iOS 18.3 Update for iPhone With Key Changes to AI Notification Summaries: What’s New Source link #Asus #Zenfone #Ultra #Teaser #Hints #Makeover #Ahead #Global #Launch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

iOS 18.3 is here, with clearly labeled Apple Intelligence notification summaries iOS 18.3 is here, with clearly labeled Apple Intelligence notification summaries iOS 18.3 is here. After over a month in beta, the update is now available for everyone using an eligible device on Monday. Among other changes, Apple’s new software turns on Apple Intelligence by default (although you can still opt out) and makes it clearer when the company’s AI generates notification summaries. Apple said earlier this month that a future update would more clearly label Apple Intelligence notification summaries, which arrived in iOS 18.1 in October. That came after the BBC reported that news summaries were twisted to falsely state that the accused ********* of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson had shot himself. Other bogus summaries claimed a darts player won a world title before playing in the final and that tennis superstar Rafael Nadal had come out as gay. The following week, Apple took it a step further and paused notification summaries of all news alerts in the iOS 18.3 beta. It isn’t yet clear if they’ll be back in today’s public release, but they will at some point. Before iOS 18.3, the summaries were only indicated by a small icon. In the new software, the entire summary is italicized, and there’s an all-caps “Summarized by Apple Intelligence” note below each AI-generated recap. Apple seems to want to boost the adoption of Apple Intelligence on compatible devices, as iOS 18.3 enables the slew of AI features by default during onboarding. You can still opt out, but it takes a few seconds of work: Head to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and turn off the toggle. Other new features in iOS 18.3 are subtler changes: Visual intelligence can now add calendar events from posters or flyers, and it’s better at identifying plants and animals. Of course, there’s plenty of little bug fixes, too. As always, you can grab the update by heading to Settings > General > Software Update. Source link #iOS #labeled #Apple #Intelligence #notification #summaries Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

General Motors (GM) earnings Q4 2024 General Motors (GM) earnings Q4 2024 The GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit on March 16, 2021. Rebecca Cook | Reuters DETROIT — General Motors is set to report fourth-quarter earnings before the bell Tuesday. Here is what Wall Street is expecting, according to average estimates compiled by LSEG: Earnings per share: $1.89 adjustedRevenue: $43.93 billion Those results would mark a 2.2% increase in revenue compared with a year earlier and a 52.4% jump in adjusted earnings per share. GM’s 2023 fourth quarter included $42.98 billion in revenue, net income attributable to stockholders of $2.1 billion and adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of $1.76 billion. While investors will be monitoring GM’s quarterly results, they will also be focused on the company’s guidance for 2025. The Detroit automaker previously said it expected its 2025 adjusted earnings to be in a “similar range” to the company’s 2024 results. However, those comments were made prior to GM announcing the disbanding of its Cruise autonomous vehicle operations and before increased regulatory uncertainty regarding all-electric vehicle incentives and potential tariffs under President Donald Trump. The Detroit automaker was targeting adjusted earnings before interest and taxes for 2024 of between $13 billion and $15 billion, or between $9.50 and $10.50 per share, up from previous guidance of between $12.5 billion and $14.5 billion, or between $9 and $10 per share, earlier this year. GM was a favorite auto stock for Wall Street analysts in 2024, as share prices soared 48% in 2024. That continues to be true in 2025, as many expect GM to outperform expectations, but GM’s stock is relatively flat to begin this year despite an upgrade last week by Deutsche Bank to buy from hold. Investors also will be watching for updates to the company’s restructuring in China, its previously announced partnership with Hyundai Motor and any changes to GM’s EV plans, which included producing and wholesaling 200,000 EVs for North America in 2024. This is developing news. Please check back for updates. Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #General #Motors #earnings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Ware, Jovic, Robinson – hoopsrumors.com Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Ware, Jovic, Robinson – hoopsrumors.com Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Ware, Jovic, Robinson hoopsrumors.comHeat suspend Jimmy Butler indefinitely, again, amid trade demand after walking out of shootaround Yahoo SportsHEAT STATEMENT ON JIMMY BUTLER NBA.ComJimmy Butler is joining Kevin Love in trolling his on-going Heat saga New York Post Source link #Heat #Notes #Butler #Herro #Ware #Jovic #Robinson #hoopsrumors.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

DeepSeek AI shakes American swagger and upends assumptions DeepSeek AI shakes American swagger and upends assumptions The speed at which the new ******** AI app DeepSeek has shaken the technology industry, the markets and the bullish sense of American superiority in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has been nothing short of stunning. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen may have said it best. “DeepSeek-R1 is AI’s Sputnik moment,” he posted to X on Sunday, referring to the satellite which kicked off the space race. DeepSeek was the most downloaded free app on Apple’s US App Store over the weekend. By Monday, the new AI chatbot had triggered a massive sell-off of major tech stocks which were in freefall as fears mounted over America’s leadership in the sector. Shares of AI chip designer and recent Wall Street darling Nvidia, for example, had plunged by 17% by the time US markets closed on Monday. Or to put it in even starker terms, it lost nearly $600bn in market value which, according to Bloomberg, is the biggest drop in the history of the US stock market. This extraordinary, historic spooking can largely be attributed to something as simple as cost. And a claim by DeepSeek’s developers which prompted serious questions in Silicon Valley. While ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has been haemorrhaging money – spending $5bn last year alone – DeepSeek’s developers say it built this latest model for a mere $5.6m. That is a tiny fraction of the cost that AI giants like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have relied on to develop their own models. As this dramatic moment for the sector played out, there was a palpable silence in many corners of Silicon Valley when I contacted those who are usually happy to talk. Many observers, investors, and analysts appeared stunned. Some wondered if this marked a buying opportunity. Others questioned the information DeepSeek was providing. “I still think the truth is below the surface when it comes to actually what’s going on,” veteran analyst Gene Munster told me on Monday. He questioned the financials DeepSeek is citing, and wondered if the startup was being subsidised or whether its numbers were correct. The chatbot is “surprisingly good, which just makes it hard to believe”, he said. Regardless, DeepSeek’s sudden arrival is a “flex” by China and a “****** eye for US tech,” to use his own words. It was just last week, after all, that OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oracle’s Larry Ellison joined President Donald Trump for a news conference that really could have been a press release. The event represented peak American bullishness on AI. They announced Stargate, a joint venture that promises up to $500bn in private investment for AI infrastructure: data centers in Texas and beyond, along with a promised 100,000 new jobs. The US seemed to think its abundant data centers and control over the highest-end chips gave it a commanding lead in AI, despite China’s dominance in rare-earth metals and engineering talent. Some have even seen it as a foregone conclusion that America would dominate the AI race, despite some high-profile warnings from top executives who said the country’s advantages should not be taken for granted. The US may still go on to command the sector, but there is a sense that DeepSeek has shaken some of that swagger. Trump’s words after the ******** app’s sudden emergence in recent days were probably cold comfort to the likes of Altman and Ellison. He called this moment a “wake-up call” for the American tech industry, and said finding a way to do cheaper AI is ultimately a “good thing”. It is also worth noting that it was not just tech stocks that took a beating on Monday. Energy stocks did too. DeepSeek’s arrival on the scene has upended many assumptions we have long held about what it takes to develop AI. Maybe that nuclear renaissance – including firing up America’s Three Mile Island energy plant once again – won’t be needed. Maybe it does not take so much capital, compute, and power after all. For now, the future of semiconductor giants like Nvidia remains unclear. DeepSeek says its model was developed with existing technology along with open source software that can be used and shared by anybody for free. But WIRED reports that for years, DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfung’s hedge fund High-Flyer has been stockpiling the chips that form the backbone of AI – known as GPUs, or graphics processing units. The company has said its models deployed H800 chips made by Nvidia. US policy restricting sales of higher-powered chips to China might get a second-look under the new Trump administration. OpenAI’s Sam Altman was mostly quiet on X Monday. But very late in the day, he wrote that DeepSeek was “impressive… particularly around what they’re able to deliver for the price”. “We will obviously deliver much better models and also it’s legit invigorating to have a new competitor!” he wrote. It was Sputnik that truly ushered in the space age. There, too, the US was caught off guard. How its tech sector responds to this apparent surprise from a ******** company will be interesting – and it may have added serious fuel to the AI race. Source link #DeepSeek #shakes #American #swagger #upends #assumptions Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pacific diplomacy strained as NZ reviews Kiribati aid Pacific diplomacy strained as NZ reviews Kiribati aid New Zealand has pledged to prioritise the wellbeing of Kiribati’s community as it reviews development funding following a presidential snubbing. The funding review puts tens of millions of dollars in jeopardy after New Zealand’s development co-operation with the atoll nation totalling $NZ102 million between 2021 and 2024, including investments in health, education and climate projects. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters was due to visit Kiribati on January 21 as part of a diplomatic blitz of the Pacific but was snubbed for a meeting with President Taneti Maamau a week out from the trip. “This was especially disappointing because the visit was to be the first in over five years by a New Zealand minister to Kiribati and was the result of a months-long effort to travel there,” a spokesperson for the minister said. “New Zealand has been a long-standing partner to Kiribati. “The lack of political-level contact makes it very difficult for us to agree (on) joint priorities for our development program and to ensure that it is well targeted and delivers good value for money.” The terms of reference are being developed and no decisions on projects already underway will be made before the review is finalised, but funding cuts haven’t been ruled out. “The outcomes of that review will be announced in due course. Other aspects of the bilateral relationship may also be impacted,” the spokesperson said. “In the meantime, New Zealand stands ready, as we always have, to engage with Kiribati at a high-level.” The United States has also struggled with its diplomatic ties as the establishment of its embassy in Tarawa is stonewalled. US diplomats were unable to gain entry into Kiribati in late 2024, AAP understands. Kiribati banned diplomatic visits in mid-2024 until after the presidential election in the following months but small delegations were able to apply for exemptions. The embargo put a dent in Peters’ plan to visit all Pacific Islands Nations countries that year. New Zealand had been trying for months after the presidential election was finalised later in 2024 to tee up a visit before the dates in January were scheduled. *********** Defence Minister Richard Marles, who doubles as the deputy prime minister, went ahead with his visit in mid-January despite also failing to secure a meeting with the president. He met with Vice President Teuea Toatu. There are concerns about increasing ******** influence in Kiribati as Beijing ramps up its charm offensive in the Pacific more broadly. Maamau has frequently attended ******** embassy events despite Western diplomats failing to secure meetings with him. Most recently, he gave a speech on January 24 for ******** New Year, where he “expressed sincere appreciation for the unwavering support and assistance that China has provided for Kiribati”, according to the embassy. While there are concerns about deepening ties with China under Maamau, academics have also branded diplomatic struggles to the president as wanting to avoid scrutiny. Kiribati has stonewalled visas for foreign officials and judges in recent years. Source link #Pacific #diplomacy #strained #reviews #Kiribati #aid Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Apple Rolls Out iOS 18.3 Update for iPhone With Key Changes to AI Notification Summaries: What’s New Apple Rolls Out iOS 18.3 Update for iPhone With Key Changes to AI Notification Summaries: What’s New iOS 18.3 update for iPhone was rolled out by Apple on Monday. It is substantially smaller than the first two numbered updates which introduced notable features, most of which are part of Apple Intelligence — the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) suite. However, it brings a key change to Notification Summaries following the recent criticism faced by the Apple Intelligence-powered feature for generating erroneous summaries of news headlines. It also includes other tweaks related to the Calculator app and Apple Intelligence’ opt-in system. iOS 18.3 Update for iPhone: What’s New According to Apple’s release notes, the iOS 18.3 update is compatible with the existing models which support iOS 18. One of the most notable additions in the update is the changes to Notification Summaries. The feature is now turned off by default and made unavailable for the News & Entertainment category. Users who opt-in to use it will be able to do so when it is made available again. The feature, introduced with iOS 18.1 last year, condenses information acquired from notifications to let users quickly scan through key details in a summarised format. However, the company recently drew flak, most notably from BBC, which approached Apple about false information being added to AI summaries. And while Apple did not pull down the feature or release a fix at the time, the latest update disables it by default. It now also appears with a warning that says “may contain errors.”. Another change to notification summaries is to its presentation. Apple says it will now appear with italicised text to help users distinguish it better from other notifications. Apple has also made Apple Intelligence an opt-out feature. Previously opt-in, users will now have to manually opt-out if they do not wish to use Apple’s AI suite. This option is present in the Apple Intelligence & Siri Settings pane in the Settings app. Visual Intelligence is also getting some tweaks. Apple says users can now add an event to Calendar from a poster or flyer. Further, it will be able to identify a wider range of animals and plants. This feature is exclusive to the iPhone 16 models and is accessible via the Camera Control button. Meanwhile, the company has brought back a key functionality to the Calculator app. With iOS 18, Apple removed the ability to repeat the last mathematical operation by tapping the equals sign repeatedly. iOS 18.3 brings it back. Along with these changes, the update also carries fixes for bugs related to Genmoji, HealthKit, and Writing Tools. Gadgets 360 staff can confirm that the update and its features are now available to use on iPhone. Source link #Apple #Rolls #iOS #Update #iPhone #Key #Notification #Summaries #Whats Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Child ***** gang plunged to depths of human depravity, says judge Child ***** gang plunged to depths of human depravity, says judge A “depraved” child sex abuse ring is one of the “worst examples of human behaviour”, a judge has said. The seven people convicted of a string of ***** and abuse charges were warned they may never be freed, Glasgow’s High Court heard on Monday. The two women and five men will all be monitored for life after being convicted of gang-raping a child and abusing other children in a drugs den in Glasgow where heroin and crack ******** were used. They were jailed for a minimum of between eight and 20 years and will either be in prison or on parole for the rest of their lives. Iain Owens, 46; Elaine Lannery, 40; Lesley Williams, 43; Paul Brannan, 42; Scott Forbes, 51; Barry Watson, 48; and John Clark, 48, were convicted in November 2023 following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. ‘Children showed formidable strength’ Sentencing, Lord Beckett said: “This court is used to hearing the worst examples of human behaviour but such depravity towards young children is beyond my experience. “This is not typical behaviour and such extreme abuse of children seems to be rare. In contrast to the awful abuse, we heard the best of humane qualities. “The children showed formidable strength and stamina over the months and years with the eldest showing resilience in recounting her evidence to the court. Their example of courage and perseverance in the face of threats from Iain Owens allowed justice to be done. “It is possible to imagine from their desperate darkness, their carers have brought some light to their young lives – a home, a structure and nurture over a number of years. What the community should understand is that you may never be released.” Four of the group – Owens, Lannery, Brannan and Williams – were found guilty of attempting to ******* a child by pushing her into a microwave and trapping her in other places. Lesley Williams and Paul Brannan were found guilty of attempting to ******* a child by pushing her into a microwave – Spindrift Photo Agency Three children in particular were subjected to relentless *****, violence and drug-taking at a dirty flat, known as the “beastie house”. This included the sex attack of one girl who was pinned down as some cheered and hollered. An allegation that the accused used a Ouija board to “call on spirits and demons” causing the child victims to “believe that they could see, hear and communicate with spirits and demons” and making them take part in “witchcraft”, was dropped by prosecutors during the trial. But the trial, which lasted for about eight weeks, heard evidence of systematic child sex abuse, described as “harrowing” by Lord Beckett, the judge, who said it “plunges to the depths of human depravity”. Sentencing had been repeatedly adjourned since then as Lord Beckett considered whether to impose a form of life sentence known as an order for lifelong restriction (OLR). An OLR was imposed on each along with a “punishment part” jail-term which is the minimum they must serve before they could even be considered for parole. However, it is possible all or some of them may never be released. ‘Gross breach of trust’ The judge stated to Owens and Lannery that they had committed a “gross breach of trust”. Lord Beckett told Forbes and Clark that he did not believe that they had been “swept along by others” in committing the offences, which occurred between April 2012 and June 2019. Owens was jailed for at least 20 years after being found guilty of 18 charges including the ***** of the three children as well as the attempted ******* of one involving shutting her in a microwave and other kitchen appliances. He was also convicted of other sex offences and class A drug supply. The court heard that Owens forced two of the children to ingest heroin and ********, and Lord Beckett said the offences were “humiliating, degrading ******* crimes against incredibly vulnerable children”. Owens sarcastically applauded the judge after the sentencing was passed and he was escorted forcefully to the cells. Elaine Lannery was sentenced to a minimum 17 years after being found guilty of the ***** of the children – Spindrift Photo Agency Lannery was sentenced to a minimum 17 years after being found guilty of the ***** of the children. Williams was jailed for 14 years for five charges including the ***** of two girls. Brannan was imprisoned for at least 15 years after being convicted of attempted *******, ******* assault, ***** and supplying class A drugs. Forbes, who was said to have filmed parts of the abuse, will serve a minimum eight years after he was found to have ****** one girl. Watson and Clark were both convicted raping two of the youngsters. Watson ranted to the judge as he was jailed for at least nine years and six months, while Clark wore a T-shirt with “innocent” scrawled on the back as he was sentenced to 10 years Gary Allan KC, defending Owens, told the sentencing: “You will be aware in his own evidence, he denied these events took place and that denial has been maintained in the process of an assessment.” Gordon Jackson KC, defending Lannery, said: “It is my understanding that the main allegations have been denied.” Keith Stewart KC, defending Williams, stated her client “disputes” the finding by the jury and will submit an appeal. Jim Wallace, defending Forbes, stated his client believed he was “innocent of any crime.” Tony Graham KC, defending Watson, told the sentencing that the matters were “crimes of gravity.” Iain McSporran KC, defending Clark, stated his client denied the offences. Co-accused Marianne Gallagher, 40, was found guilty of assaulting a child and was “admonished” when she appeared for sentencing on Jan 6. Gallagher was told she would be in “pretty severe trouble” if she committed further offences, when she was spared punishment by Lord Beckett. Colin Anderson, independent chairman of Glasgow’s child protection committee, said: “I have already initiated the process of undertaking a Case Learning Review. “This is being led by an independent reviewer to ensure strong governance and oversight. It would be inappropriate to comment further until the Case Learning Review is complete.” Det Insp Lesley-Ann McGee, of Police Scotland, said: “I hope today’s outcome can help the young victims in moving forward. “This was a long, complex and challenging investigation for a team of officers and staff who had to work through the most harrowing evidence to bring those responsible for these despicable crimes to justice.” Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s procurator fiscal for High Court ******* offences, said: “I commend the bravery of the young victims; their strength has resulted in the conviction and sentence of their abusers for these heinous crimes.” She added: “Prosecuting this case has been complex and a challenging task for our experienced prosecutors. Consideration of the trauma these children suffered was utmost while working to secure these convictions.” Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Source link #Child #***** #gang #plunged #depths #human #depravity #judge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fintech firms target Singapore’s wealthy with feature-rich apps Fintech firms target Singapore’s wealthy with feature-rich apps Businesswoman managing finance and investment online, reading financial trading data and making financial plan with smartphone. Online banking. Banking, investment and financial trading concept D3sign | Moment | Getty Images The private banking industry, long defined by exclusivity, discretion and personalized service by relationship managers, is in the crosshairs of fintech firms that want a slice of the fast-growing business of managing money for the wealthy. The newcomers are aggressive, favoring in-your-face advertisements over partnerships with luxury brands or mingling at high-society events to identify potential clients. Their business models involve using artificial intelligence to provide the same services as private banks and charging lower fees, while having a small number of staff to provide the “human touch” when needed. Since its launch in Singapore in October last year, U.S. fintech Arta Finance has been actively promoting its AI-powered app on social media, claiming to deliver capabilities once reserved for the ultra-wealthy in a faster and more cost-efficient manner. The company has even taken its advertising to subway stations in some of the city-state’s most affluent areas. “Can your private bank do this?” is one of its catch phrases. Arta is a newcomer to Singapore, and it has just over a year’s experience in its home turf. But its investors include luminaries such as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and ex-UBS CEO Ralph Hamers. One of Arta’s selling points is its significantly lower investment threshold. Clients can access unlisted assets, including hedge funds, with a minimum investment of just $25,000 in a product, compared to the typical $200,000 to $250,000 minimum imposed by many private banks. Moomoo, a popular trading and investment platform, has also gotten into the act with a new arm targeting high-net-worth individuals and their Singapore-based family offices. Moomoo has already disrupted the local stockbroking industry with its mobile app and much lower commissions. Moomoo Private Wealth caters to clients with more than $1 million in investments by providing them with access to a wider range of financial assets along with the services of a relationship manager and professional trading team. “We wanted to apply the same principle of making investing more accessible, utilizing our tech-enabled platform to complement the personalized service that high-net-worth individuals have come to expect,” Moomoo Singapore’s CEO Gavin Chia said in an advertorial earlier this month. Arta and Moomoo are not the only players looking to establish a foothold in Singapore, one of the main global hubs for private banking alongside Switzerland and Hong Kong. According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, there are around 40 wealth-tech firms targeting different customer segments in the city-state. Management consultancy McKinsey estimates that high and ultra-high-net-worth individuals in Asia-Pacific own $21.7 trillion in assets. High net worth individuals refer to those with at least $1 million in investments, while ultra-high net worth individuals are those with $50 million or more as defined by McKinsey. Opportunity: Lower-tier clients Private banks provide access to alternative investments not typically available to retail investors. These include private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, loans issued by corporates, and structured products. Private banks can also help customers set up trusts and other structures for tax and legacy planning. Chandrima Das, a seasoned fintech entrepreneur with a background in investment management, believes fintech firms can effectively serve the lower tiers of private banking clients. However, capturing the ultra-high-net-worth segment presents a significantly greater challenge. “Those with over $50 million in assets under management get an entirely differentiated level of service,” explained Das, whose robo-advisor Bento was acquired by Grab in 2016. Das currently leads Teleskop, a platform that aggregates users’ varied investments for simpler reference and management. While Arta’s adverts take frequent digs at private banks, it is targeting a broader market of “accredited investors” from Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. In Singapore, accredited investor status requires an annual income exceeding 300,000 Singapore dollars (around $220,000) or net financial assets exceeding S$1 million, excluding primary residence. In contrast, many private banks want clients to maintain at least $5 million in their accounts. According to news reports, UBS, the world’s largest wealth manager, last year revealed plans to shut thousands of smaller-value accounts with around $2 million or less as part of a cleanup of less profitable relationships. Growth challenge Fintech firms targeting high-net-worth investors face some obstacles too. Zennon Kapron, a fintech industry analyst, said that the newcomers need to scale rapidly to justify their huge upfront investments. “A challenge is that the margin in robo is so low, you need billions in AUM to be profitable.” Teleskop’s Das added the successful acquisition of new customers may not result in large AUM inflows. While private banks may impose higher charges and fees, most investors will continue to park the bulk of their assets with the banks for greater peace of mind. While some private banks lag in technological capabilities, others such as DBS Private Bank have invested heavily in AI and digitalization, blunting the edge that newcomers claim to enjoy, according to Das. DBS said its “phygital” strategy of using technology to amplify its face-to-face physical interactions with clients has paid off, and that nine in 10 of wealthy customers use its app to monitor their portfolios and transact round-the-clock. Growing demand for tech solutions Amanda Ong, Arta’s country manager for Singapore, said there is a new generation of wealthy individuals who are more comfortable with technology, which has in turn resulted in growing demand for digital-first solutions to wealth management. “Many of our competitors have not fully embraced the shift toward integrating technology with personalized service,” she said. Kuna Nallapan, a senior IT executive and investor, said platforms such as Moomoo and Schwabs provide superior capabilities in areas such as intra-day and margin trading compared to the private banking app that he also uses. While fintech firms face many challenges, their emergence will force the private banking industry to adapt and innovate, industry players and observers said. This competition will ultimately benefit high-net-worth investors, who now have more choices and access to more sophisticated and cost-effective solutions for managing their wealth. Source link #Fintech #firms #target #Singapores #wealthy #featurerich #apps Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Caution Ahead! Vietnam’s Drivers Are Suddenly Following the Rules. Caution Ahead! Vietnam’s Drivers Are Suddenly Following the Rules. Vietnam’s motorbike drivers have always tended to treat red lights as suggestions, more slow down than stop. At rush hour, they’ve brought the same indifference to other rules, like: Yield to pedestrians; or, stay off sidewalks; or, do not drive against the flow of traffic. Some found it charming, the ballet of many wheels dancing around pedestrians. But Vietnam’s road fatality rates have long been among the highest in Asia. And after cracking down on drunken driving, the country’s leaders are now going after everything else. Under a new law, traffic fines have risen tenfold, with the biggest tickets exceeding $1,500. The average citation tops a month’s salary for many, and that’s more than enough to change behavior. Intersections have become both calmer and more congested by an outbreak of caution. Faulty green lights have even led scared drivers to walk motorbikes across streets the police might be watching. “It’s safer, it’s better,” said Pham Van Lam, 57, as he pruned trees outside a Buddhist pagoda by a busy road on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City this week. “But it’s cruel for poor people.” Making Vietnam more “civilized” (“van minh” in Vietnamese) appears to be the goal. It’s a word the government has often deployed for public order campaigns, signaling what this lower-middle-income country often sees as its north star: the wealth and order of a Singapore, South Korea or Japan. All three countries prioritized road safety as they grew richer, as did China, adhering to the idea that orderly streets reflect an achievement of modernization. But Vietnam has its own particular history and trajectory. Economic growth has lifted millions out of poverty without propelling them into comfort. In most cities, there are growing numbers of people, motorbikes, cars and trucks — and the ********** bureaucracy is struggling to keep up. The streets are Vietnam’s coliseum. Especially in cities, they are the forum where society’s biggest conflicts — between government control and personal freedom, between the elites seeking harmony and strivers seeking income — have long played out. In 1989, as the state laid off more than a million people, an admission that Soviet-style central planning had not delivered economic growth, private enterprise was legalized on the streets. A small-business revolution followed, with tiny plastic chairs and sidewalk sales. Home, work and road rapidly merged. Street-front living rooms became stores. Motorbikes and food carts swarmed sidewalks. Pedestrians, an afterthought, walked in traffic. The government has at times tried to bring order to particular areas. More than a decade ago, an anthropologist at Yale saw in such efforts “a convergence between the disciplinary goals of the late socialist Vietnamese state and the interests of an emerging propertied class.” But like the tropical vegetation that grows wild at the cities’ edges, Vietnam’s irreverent urban culture has resisted being tamed. In 2007, when the government decided to force motorbike drivers to wear helmets, obedience blended with mock compliance. Some people strapped kitchen pots to their heads. Many still wear headgear shaped like a baseball cap, and not much safer than one. When the police started aggressively targeting drunken driving a few years ago by sharply raising fines and confiscating vehicles, many of the violators just left their motorbikes behind rather than paying to get them back. Now another backlash is brewing. Millions of dollars are pouring in (Ho Chi Minh City reported that ticket revenue jumped 35 percent in the law’s first two weeks). Many see the new rules, along with added cameras and a provision offering rewards for snitches, as more about institutional greed than safety. “The police just want to take as much money as they can,” said Dinh Ngoc Quang, a motorbike taxi driver, as he was waiting for customers at an intersection in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital. “The higher fines hit the pocket of lower-income people like me the hardest.” As the traffic lights turned red, the rush of motorbikes and cars — usually constant — suddenly stopped. “It’s nice to have traffic order, but how about the life of poor people like us who need to work on the street every day?” he added. Some drivers have called the new law oppressive, authoritarian and exploitative. Many complain that the fines are far too high, and that their usual trips take twice as long, eating into the earnings of taxi and truck drivers, or those of anyone relying on efficient delivery. Memes about ambulances getting stuck for hours and people getting rich (or punched) for reporting red-light violators have spread on social media. Caution, by all accounts, has disrupted the flow. In major cities, motorbikes playing by the old rules now frequently rear-end drivers trying to be careful, stopping early, sometimes even when lights are green. Truck drivers have paused wherever they could to avoid fines for working too many hours straight. Intersections are now noticeably louder, as honking drivers squeal where traffic used to gurgle and move like a river around stones. “We’re stuck everywhere, all the time,” said Huynh Van Mai, a truck driver who makes regular trips between Ho Chi Minh City and the port of Vung Tau, about 60 miles away. “It’s stressful,” he added, taking a break near a logistics hub with towers of shipping containers stacked behind him. “There are so many changes in the laws.” And yet, as many acknowledge, there is a logic to the effort. Since stepped-up enforcement started, beer sales have fallen by 25 percent, and drunken driving has declined across Vietnam. Vietnam’s national leaders — just a few months into power, with many who started their careers in state security — are eager to go further. The pursuit of safety and government surveillance seem to be aligned: In Hanoi, officials announced a plan last week to add 40,000 cameras to the roughly 20,000 already in place across the capital. But in such a young country, with an average age of around 32, compared to nearly 40 for the United States and China, the government seems to realize that some rebellion is inevitable. When it comes to driving, preaching patience is one response. As a columnist in one newspaper recently wrote: “Hours of traffic jams are like a large-scale rehearsal for society where each person must learn to adjust themselves, accept limitations and interact with others.” In some places, concessions to pragmatism have also been made. After 10 days of complaints, Ho Chi Minh City sent out teams to install signals allowing motorbikes to turn right on red at 50 intersections. In Hanoi, the local authorities have also moved to adjust some traffic lights. A twitchy balance between chaos and order has started to emerge. Though some motorbike riders still speed against traffic, and on sidewalks, far more stop when they should alongside the country’s growing ranks of cars and trucks. Sensing success, some commentators have begun to wonder what else could be changed with large fines — perhaps big tickets for littering would help reduce trash all over the country? “It takes time and effort to promote a civilized style,” said Nguyen Ngoc Dien, a former deputy rector at the University of Economics and Law at Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City. “These new traffic regulations are part of that effort.” Source link #Caution #Ahead #Vietnams #Drivers #Suddenly #Rules Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Inside Colombia’s Crisis Over Trump’s Deportations – The New York Times Inside Colombia’s Crisis Over Trump’s Deportations – The New York Times Inside Colombia’s Crisis Over Trump’s Deportations The New York TimesBehind the Colombia Blowup: Mapping Trump’s Rapid-Escalation Tactics The New York TimesColombia’s president tangles with Trump over accepting deportees VOA AsiaAfter forcing Colombia to back down, White House claims America is respected again CNNTrump’s Victory Over Colombia Now Looks Less Clear Cut Bloomberg Source link #Colombias #Crisis #Trumps #Deportations #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump says Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok Trump says Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok US President Donald Trump has said that Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a “bidding war” over the ***** of the social media app. When asked by reporters whether the US tech giant was preparing a bid, Trump replied: “I would say yes” – before adding that there was “great interest in TikTok” from several companies. Both Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden have been trying for years to force TikTok’s ******** parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations on national security grounds. It comes as Trump signed an executive order last week to reverse a Biden Administration ban on TikTok that briefly took the app offline for its 170m users in the United States. Despite granting TikTok a 75-day reprieve from the ban, Trump had been the first president to start pressuring ByteDance to sell its app. In August 2020, ByteDance approached Microsoft as a possible buyer – something which the US company’s chief executive later described as “the strangest thing”. Later, TikTok chose rival Oracle as a potential partner – although that deal also never happened. Trump has previously said that he was in discussions with several parties about purchasing TikTok and expects to make a decision on the app’s future within the next 30 days. A spokesperson for Microsoft said the company had “nothing to share at this time”. The BBC has also reached out to TikTok for comment. Earlier on Monday, the US president had addressed a gathering of Republican politicians in Florida and spoke about the proposed ***** of TikTok. “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it,” he said. “If we can save all that voice and all the jobs, and China won’t be involved, we don’t want China involved, but we’ll see what happens,” he added. Previous names linked with buying TikTok include billionaire Frank McCourt and the ********* businessman Kevin O’Leary – a celebrity investor on Shark Tank, the US version of Dragon’s Den. The biggest YouTuber in the world Jimmy Donaldson – AKA MrBeast – has also claimed he is in the running after a number of investors contacted him following an earlier tweet signalling his interest. Source link #Trump #Microsoft #talks #buy #TikTok Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘No, I’m not phoning to say I’m dying!’ My gruelling week of calling gen Z friends rather than texting them | Life and style ‘No, I’m not phoning to say I’m dying!’ My gruelling week of calling gen Z friends rather than texting them | Life and style In the listless early weeks of January – my resolutions for self-improvement already gone to the dogs – I was asked to conduct an experiment that those in my life who are over 40 deemed “lovely”, and everyone else regarded with unbridled horror: I was asked to spend a week picking up the phone and calling people rather than texting. What a cakewalk, you say. Not quite, say those aged 18 to 34 – 61% of whom prefer a text to a call, and 23% of whom never bother answering, according to a Uswitch survey last year. Such is the pervasiveness of phone call anxiety that a college in Nottingham recently launched coaching sessions for teenagers with “telephobia”, and a 2024 survey of 2,000 *** office workers found that more than 40% of them had avoided answering a work call in the previous 12 months because of anxiety. At 27, I am an OAP of generation Z, meaning there are certain things I don’t understand – why does everyone hate going to the pub? – and others that I innately do: namely, that phone calls are an outmoded, laboured form of communication. (Even my parents, who are in their mid-60s, and still struggle to conduct a videocall without providing an impromptu tour of their nostrils, have ditched their landline.) “The reality is we’ve made better ways of communicating than having live telephone conversations,” says Duncan Brumby, a professor of human-computer interaction at University College London, who researches the impact of call notifications on smartphone users. Though much is made of young people’s ineptitude when it comes to picking up the phone, Brumby reckons we’ve just fallen out of practice, and prefer the convenience of asynchronous chatter. “I think what we’re doing is picking up an associative pattern. It’s almost like that classic conditioning experiment, where the bell is rung before the food arrives and the dog starts salivating,” he says. “It’s the same thing when we hear our phone ringing, and it signifies to us that there’s probably something bad coming down the line.” (This is borne out by the Uswitch survey, which found that 56% of 18- to 34-year-olds assume a spontaneous call means bad news.) ‘Should I just be scattergun-calling everyone in my address book?’ Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian There is also the fact that calls are now largely the reserve of scammers and telemarketers: in 2024 just under half of *** landline users (48%) said they’d received a suspicious call in the last three months – although this is down from 56% in 2021. Then there are the endless opportunities for regret that the real-time phone call presents – which, thanks to existence of Facebook memories, are already plentiful. “One thing to point out with phone calls is that, if you make a mistake, it’s out there, whereas with texting, you can censor yourself: you can revise, you can decide not to reply or you can delete the message,” says Nelson Roque, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Pennsylvania State University. “I think the device serves as a buffer.” Roque says that our reliance on text-based communication, coupled with the relentless self-promotion cycle of social media, has made us experts in self-editing – and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. “Having eyes always on you is perhaps encouraging us to play it more safe.” Does that mean I’ll burn through my relationships for lack of a backspace button? Maybe. Wish me luck. Monday The opportunity to embark on my new life as a caller presents itself early in the day. My boyfriend texts to ask if I have plans for Friday. I ring him mid-morning, but he doesn’t answer. I could be dying and my next of kin isn’t answering the phone. I could die, I think, and then I’d be recused from this experiment. He calls me back after half an hour, but I miss it and return his call 30 minutes later. The game of telephone tag labours on for most of the afternoon. I try to let him know that I’m busy getting my eyebrows threaded (this, too, is something new I am trying). Naturally, I make this call out of earshot of my colleagues because I would rather have my whole body threaded than make a personal call at my desk. “I can see you turning out to be a great caller,” he says when he eventually answers – a compliment that, I’m convinced, only the intimacy of talking on the phone could encourage. Already my relationships are deepening, I think. Texting be damned. Emboldened by his praise, I make a call that I have been avoiding for the best part of six months: booking a routine smear test. I regret it as soon as the receptionist’s voice cuts through the incongruously peppy waiting music. She suggests I come in on Saturday. “Maybe that’s too soon?” I ask. “It’s never too soon,” she chides. Suitably chastened, I bury my phone at the bottom of my bag and try not to look at it for the rest of the day. Tuesday I have been well primed for the awkwardness that will ensue from calling people I have never spoken to on the phone. I am less well prepared for what happens when they don’t answer. Twice. Trying to push myself further than yesterday, I call an old colleague I haven’t texted for the best part of six months. Like dating, we’re in that tentative stage of friendship wherein it’s probably not advisable to unleash all the worst parts of your personality just yet. I leave a bumbling message, and immediately wish for the self-editing ability that Roque talked about. As the day progresses, all of the usual thoughts flood my anxious brain: she never saved my number, she thinks I’m unhinged, she’s going to endorse me for being a freak on LinkedIn. Within the first 10 minutes of our chat I’m surprised by how quickly the intimacy comes flooding back Not one to be cowed, I call an old colleague at the same company. Again, no answer. Well, that’s that bridge torched, I think. I try a few more friends – surely they’ll pick up. Not a single one. “I’m at work,” one texts me sternly. (Since when did this generation start taking their careers seriously?) I call Brumby. “Much of life’s more pleasant interactions we now do asynchronously because it’s easier,” he says. “This allows us to reach our friends, and it doesn’t rely on them being available at the same time.” I try to take comfort in this, though really I spend the afternoon worrying that nobody would attend my ********. As the day progresses I feel increasingly despondent. Until, at last, a bright spark in a dull day: my best childhood friend texts to tell me that she thinks therapy isn’t working for her because she’s too funny. She is, in fairness, the funniest person I know, and though she only lives in Ireland, while I’m London, it feels like the other side of the world. I call her back immediately. “I thought you were dying or something when I saw you calling,” she says. We talk for an hour. “Really,” we both agree, “it’s crazy that we don’t do this more.” ‘The beauty of the phone call is that you can hang up whenever you like.’ Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian Wednesday Ah, the group chat: my nemesis, my friend. A good one is the best source of gossip in the world; a bad one (that is, one with more than eight people that you were added to non-consensually) is like having someone screaming, incessantly, through your letterbox. By Wednesday, tortured by the notifications in one of two chats I take an active role in, I’m itching to throw in my two cents. I do one of those cacophonous group voice calls that makes everyone sound as if they’re dialling in from a cave. “How do you all feel about phone calls, then?” I ask once the initial pleasantries are out of the way. ‘Texting is no match for face-to-face interaction.’ Photograph: Tim Robberts/Getty Images One friend tells me that when she worked as a temp secretary for a luxury lingerie company with a “no randos ringing up” policy, she took her role as gatekeeper so seriously that she spent the best part of a day arguing with an internal head of department about whether she was permitted to patch them through to their own colleague. Another says that she hates answering the communal office phone so much that she’s managed to get away with doing it just twice in the half-year she’s been in the job by employing the classic tactic of waiting for someone else to pick it up before springing into action, then feigning disappointment that she didn’t get there first. Sublime. Thursday On Thursday I call a friend who has a four-month-old baby and who, as a result, I didn’t expect to hear from until at least 2030. In the background I can hear bike bells and rumbling traffic as he takes a break from his desk. “Sorry if this is all garbled,” he says, perfectly lucid for someone who has been sleeping in 45-minute bursts for the last few months. We talk for half an hour – about the baby, about the lost art of the landline call (he’s 37), and whether or not it’s acceptable to go on a work trip when the baby is still so small. (Yes, we conclude, provided you don’t boast to your partner about your restedness upon return.) Our conversation is much more expansive than the rushed, new-parent prose that would be contained in a few texts volleyed back and forth. “I’ll see you in a few years,” I sign off. “Well … we’ll see,” he says. Friday Scratching around for someone new to call on Friday – and praying I don’t have to resort to booking another invasive medical appointment – I get a message from an old flatmate who I haven’t texted in more than a year, and who I haven’t seen in person since before the pandemic. It’s fate, I think, and fire up the phone. Her WhatsApp picture is of her in a wedding dress. She’s doing a bit of freelance bridal modelling? Sort of. In the time since we’ve spoken, she’s got married, her dad has died and she’s preparing to move cities – all of this coming tumbling out within the first 10 minutes of our chat. I’m surprised by how quickly the intimacy comes flooding back – how, despite how much time has passed, it feels like we’re just continuing the conversation from where we left off in our grubby student flat. “Sometimes it’s easy to think that you just go out and make friends, but actually you need to maintain those friendships over time and nurture those social connections,” says Prof Andrea Wigfield, the director of the Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University when I call her later in the day. So should I just be scattergun-calling everyone in my address book? Not exactly: loneliness isn’t alleviated simply by having a lot of people around, she assures me (thank God, because it only took me until Friday to run out of people to call). “It’s about the quality and meaningfulness of those relationships.” I do not want to speak to a single soul – not the Tesco delivery man, not my partner, not the industrious scammer Saturday As an introvert, I’m used to the inevitable ****** that accompanies a full week of socialising. But rather than spending Saturday morning feeling as if my edges have been blunted, vowing never again to speak to a single soul, I’m strangely energised. I call my friend David, initially to cancel plans (I didn’t say I’m fully reformed), but then we chat about our respective weeks. I haven’t hated it as much as I thought I would, I admit. “Surely this phone call thing is more fuel for you to just not leave the house – that is, less than you already do,” he says. The beauty of the phone call is that you can hang up whenever you like. Sorry, my connection dropped, I’ll say if he calls back. Sunday I do not want to speak to a single soul – not the Tesco delivery man, not my partner, not the industrious scammer who keeps calling to offer me a fully remote job that pays £150k. But, alas, it is social maintenance day, and I must make all of the calls I’ve been dodging for the past week. I call my mum, I call my newly engaged brother, who I have probably spoken to on the phone a grand total of 10 times in my life. “I was doing this thing where I had to call loads of people for a week,” I tell my mum. “You never called me,” she says. “Maybe I will more in future,” I say – and for a minute I think I actually believe it. It’s all over What did I learn from my week as a caller? That texting is no match for face-to-face interaction – but chatting on the phone is a good halfway house. That there is something nice about conducting your most pedestrian interactions via phone call, so that if you unexpectedly disappear and the police mine your texts for clues, they won’t know how boring you truly were. That “do not disturb” mode is a blessing from the smartphone gods. And that the people you really need will always pick up the phone – provided you give them two days’ notice. Source link #phoning #dying #gruelling #week #calling #gen #friends #texting #Life #style Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Head to replace Konstas as Aussie opener for first Test Head to replace Konstas as Aussie opener for first Test Travis Head will replace Sam Konstas at the top of Australia’s batting order for the first Sri Lanka Test despite the teenager’s heroics in the triumphant India series. Captain Steve Smith would not rule out finding a place for Konstas elsewhere in the order for the match that begins in Galle on Wednesday, with a vacancy now open at No.5. Konstas impressed in his first two Tests to help Australia secure a first series win over India in a decade. But Head’s supreme efforts as an opener on the previous subcontinent tour in 2023 were enough to win him the spot next to Usman Khawaja. Head averaged 55.75 runs across two-and-a-half Tests replacing David Warner on that India tour, two years ago. “He did really nicely in India against the new ball. He put spinners under pressure immediately and we know how well he hits the seam as well if they come with that,” Smith said. “It’s going to be good fun watching him.” Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Josh Inglis all appear in contention for the middle-order vacancy created by Head’s promotion. Inglis is uncapped at Test level but in form for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield this summer. McSweeney struggled facing Indian pace ace Jasprit Bumrah as an opener in the first three Tests of the India series but bats in the middle order for South Australia. Source link #replace #Konstas #Aussie #opener #Test Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dozens Injured After Boeing Aircraft Suddenly Plunges in Mid-Air Dozens Injured After Boeing Aircraft Suddenly Plunges in Mid-Air Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways Nearly 40 people were injured, with six seriously injured, when a Boeing aircraft operated by United Airlines suddenly plunged in mid-air, forcing the fight to make an emergency landing. According to CNN, per FlightRadar24 data, the incident occurred just 93 minutes after Flight 613 departed from Nigeria on its way to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC on Friday. There had been 245 passengers, eight flight attendants, and three pilots on board; with 31 passengers and seven crew members sustaining minor injuries. Of those injured, four passengers and two crew members were hurt seriously enough to require hospitalization. Video that has surfaced online shows the chaotic aftermath of the incident, in which food trays, meals, and personal items can be seen strewn about the floor of the cabin. “We dropped so suddenly that I hit my head on the ceiling,” recalled one passenger, adding that it happened three times. The cause of the disturbance is still unclear. United Airlines has ruled out severe turbulence and said that it is “working with aviation authorities in the US and Nigeria to understand the cause.” In a statement, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said that a rescue team on the ground responded swiftly and were alert just four minutes after the pilot reported distress. “Aviation medical ambulances transported the injured passengers—some to the MMA Clinic and others to the Headquarters Clinic,” the statement read. “Those with minor injuries received first aid and were discharged immediately, while those with serious injuries were stabilized and transported to the Duchess Hospital in Ikeja. Some passengers were also taken to a hotel for accommodation. The aircraft itself did not sustain any damage.” A spokesperson for United Airlines told CNN that all hospitalized passengers have since been released. Source link #Dozens #Injured #Boeing #Aircraft #Suddenly #Plunges #MidAir Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Whole Foods workers vote to form Amazon chain’s first union Whole Foods workers vote to form Amazon chain’s first union An Amazon Prime delivery van sits parked outside of a Whole Foods Market grocery store on August 26, 2024 in El Segundo, California. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images Whole Foods employees at a Philadelphia store voted to form a union Monday night, marking the first successful organizing campaign at the Amazon-owned upscale grocer. Store workers cast 130 votes in favor and 100 votes against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers union, a spokesperson for the UFCW said. The store, which is located in Philadelphia’s Spring Garden neighborhood, employs roughly 300 workers. The vote is the latest instance of Amazon workers putting pressure on the company to deliver higher wages and safety improvements. Amazon has faced an upswing in organizing among its warehouse and delivery workforce in recent years. The company has argued its employees don’t need unions, which stand to disrupt the control it has over its workforce. Staffers are hoping that a union will help them negotiate for higher wages, improvements to their schedules and secure “a fair workload that doesn’t leave us burned out,” according to a UFCW webpage detailing the campaign. Employees at the store filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board in November. UFCW and some of the store’s employees in November said that management at Whole Foods engaged in an “aggressive anti-union campaign” after they filed for a union vote. UFCW filed a number of unfair labor practices with the NLRB over Whole Foods’ conduct during the union drive. “This fight is far from over, but today’s victory is an important step forward,” Wendell Young, president of UFCW Local 1776, the chapter representing the workers, said in a statement. “We are ready to bring Whole Foods to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair first contract that reflects the workers’ needs and priorities.” Whole Foods said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by the outcome of the election, adding that it offers “competitive compensation, great benefits and career advancement opportunities” for employees. “We are committed to maintaining a positive working environment in our Philly Center City store,” the company said. Whole Foods has largely operated as an autonomous subsidiary of Amazon since it was acquired for $13.7 billion in 2017. But more recently, Amazon has sought to bring Whole Foods closer. The company on Monday tapped Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel for an expanded role leading its worldwide grocery business, which includes its Fresh supermarket chain, online grocery service and Go convenience stores. The Monday vote in Philadelphia marks the first successful union campaign at a Whole Foods since it was acquired in 2017. Employees at a Whole Foods store in Madison, Wisconsin, voted to join the UFCW in 2002, but employees at that store dissolved the union in 2003. The labor victory comes as Amazon has faced a groundswell of union activity among its warehouse and delivery workforce in recent years. Employees have sought to unionize to obtain higher wages and improvements to working conditions. Amazon has disputed criticisms from its employees, lawmakers and advocacy groups that its breakneck pace of work has led to high injury rates among its frontline workers. It’s also pushed back on complaints that it has engaged in union-busting activity. Amazon last year joined SpaceX and Trader Joe’s in arguing that the NLRB is unconstitutional. The NLRB has accused Amazon of violating federal labor laws in several cases. The company employees at a Staten Island, New York, site in 2022 formed the company’s first union at a U.S. warehouse, though they have struggled to negotiate a contract. The group voted to affiliate with the Teamsters last June. Workers at an Amazon warehouse in North Carolina are slated to hold a union election next month. WATCH: Amazon and Meta notch record highs Source link #Foods #workers #vote #form #Amazon #chains #union Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Blake Lively Moves to Depose Key Player in ‘It Ends With Us’ Justin Baldoni Feud; Court Sets First Hearing – Hollywood Reporter Blake Lively Moves to Depose Key Player in ‘It Ends With Us’ Justin Baldoni Feud; Court Sets First Hearing – Hollywood Reporter Blake Lively Moves to Depose Key Player in ‘It Ends With Us’ Justin Baldoni Feud; Court Sets First Hearing Hollywood ReporterJustin Baldoni’s 2am Voice Note To Blake Lively Leaked, Sheds Light On ‘It Ends With Us’ Legal Battle Yahoo EntertainmentJustin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s Trial Set for March 2026 in New York Us WeeklyBlake Lively Seen for First Time in Over a Month Amid Justin Baldoni Legal Battle – E! Online E! NEWSAn Intimacy Coordinator’s Take on That Awkward ‘It Ends With Us’ Video Hollywood Reporter Source link #Blake #Lively #Moves #Depose #Key #Player #Ends #Justin #Baldoni #Feud #Court #Sets #Hearing #Hollywood #Reporter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Kids denied puberty blockers amid hormone therapy probe Kids denied puberty blockers amid hormone therapy probe A state government has announced an investigation after reports gender-affirming hormones were given to children as young as 12 without authorised care. Source link #Kids #denied #puberty #blockers #hormone #therapy #probe Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Whole Foods workers vote to form Amazon chain’s first union Whole Foods workers vote to form Amazon chain’s first union An Amazon Prime delivery van sits parked outside of a Whole Foods Market grocery store on August 26, 2024 in El Segundo, California. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images Whole Foods employees at a Philadelphia store voted to form a union Monday night, marking the first successful organizing campaign at the Amazon-owned upscale grocer. Store workers cast 130 votes in favor and 100 votes against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers union, a spokesperson for the UFCW said. The store, which is located in Philadelphia’s Spring Garden neighborhood, employs roughly 300 workers. The vote is the latest instance of Amazon workers putting pressure on the company to deliver higher wages and safety improvements. Amazon has faced an upswing in organizing among its warehouse and delivery workforce in recent years. The company has argued its employees don’t need unions, which stand to disrupt the control it has over its workforce. Staffers are hoping that a union will help them negotiate for higher wages, improvements to their schedules and secure “a fair workload that doesn’t leave us burned out,” according to a UFCW webpage detailing the campaign. Employees at the store filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board in November. UFCW and some of the store’s employees in November said that management at Whole Foods engaged in an “aggressive anti-union campaign” after they filed for a union vote. UFCW filed a number of unfair labor practices with the NLRB over Whole Foods’ conduct during the union drive. “This fight is far from over, but today’s victory is an important step forward,” Wendell Young, president of UFCW Local 1776, the chapter representing the workers, said in a statement. “We are ready to bring Whole Foods to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair first contract that reflects the workers’ needs and priorities.” Whole Foods said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by the outcome of the election, adding that it offers “competitive compensation, great benefits and career advancement opportunities” for employees. “We are committed to maintaining a positive working environment in our Philly Center City store,” the company said. Whole Foods has largely operated as an autonomous subsidiary of Amazon since it was acquired for $13.7 billion in 2017. But more recently, Amazon has sought to bring Whole Foods closer. The company on Monday tapped Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel for an expanded role leading its worldwide grocery business, which includes its Fresh supermarket chain, online grocery service and Go convenience stores. The Monday vote in Philadelphia marks the first successful union campaign at a Whole Foods since it was acquired in 2017. Employees at a Whole Foods store in Madison, Wisconsin, voted to join the UFCW in 2002, but employees at that store dissolved the union in 2003. The labor victory comes as Amazon has faced a groundswell of union activity among its warehouse and delivery workforce in recent years. Employees have sought to unionize to obtain higher wages and improvements to working conditions. Amazon has disputed criticisms from its employees, lawmakers and advocacy groups that its breakneck pace of work has led to high injury rates among its frontline workers. It’s also pushed back on complaints that it has engaged in union-busting activity. Amazon last year joined SpaceX and Trader Joe’s in arguing that the NLRB is unconstitutional. The NLRB has accused Amazon of violating federal labor laws in several cases. The company employees at a Staten Island, New York, site in 2022 formed the company’s first union at a U.S. warehouse, though they have struggled to negotiate a contract. The group voted to affiliate with the Teamsters last June. Workers at an Amazon warehouse in North Carolina are slated to hold a union election next month. WATCH: Amazon and Meta notch record highs Source link #Foods #workers #vote #form #Amazon #chains #union Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Caseyville businessman accused of hiring hitman to kill wife’s girlfriend in Collinsville Caseyville businessman accused of hiring hitman to kill wife’s girlfriend in Collinsville Editor’s note: This story was updated Monday afternoon with new information from a press conference at Collinsville City Hall. It also was updated to clarify that, while Shaw was charged with first-degree *******, prosecutors allege that he was an accomplice and driver, not the shooter. The Madison County state’s attorney’s office has charged a Caseyville businessman with ******* and solicitation for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill his estranged wife’s girlfriend. Sammy J. Shafer Jr., 36, is one of three suspects arrested last week and charged Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of Portia Rowland, 32, early Tuesday morning outside the small brick home on Olive Street in Collinsville that the women shared. Sammy Shafer Jr. is charged with two counts of first-degree ******* and two counts of solicitation of ******* for hire. “Said defendant, or a person for whom he is legally accountable, without lawful justification, and by means of discharging a firearm, with the intent to kill Portia Rowland, shot Portia Rowland, thereby causing (her death),” the criminal complaint states. Other suspects in the *******-for-hire case include Gary D. Johnson, 45, of East St. Louis, who is charged with two counts of first-degree ******* for allegedly shooting Rowland and one count of possession of a weapon by a felon. A third suspect, Marty D. Shaw, 33, of Collinsville, is charged with two counts of first-degree ******* for allegedly being an accomplice who drove the getaway car. “We believe the evidence at trial will show that this was not a random act of violence, but rather this was a calculated and cold-hearted *******-for-hire scheme based on a personal grievance,” State’s Attorney Tom Haine said at a press conference Monday afternoon at Collinsville City Hall. Haine stood before members of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, which had been called in by Collinsville Police Department to conduct the initial investigation. Now that suspects have been arrested, the police department is taking back over. Investigators followed more than 200 leads and executed more than 30 search warrants, according to Collinsville Lt. Eric Owen, who served as deputy commander during the investigation. Owen said investigators used license-plate readers to track a suspect vehicle, leading them to a Missouri address, where they took Shaw into custody with the help of St. Louis County Police. He was charged last week, but the charges were kept under seal. Investigators arrested Johnson on Friday in Cahokia Heights and Shafer on Saturday in Caseyville. The state’s attorney’s office has filed petitions asking that pretrial releases be denied. “We have argued that (the suspects) pose a continuing threat to public safety should they remain on the streets, and we intend to make that argument before the judge,” Haine said. Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine speaks during a press conference on Monday at Collinsville City Hall regarding the recent arrest of three suspects in connection with the ******* of Portia Rowland. Members of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis look on as Collinsville Assistant Police Chief Mark Kuechle speaks during a press conference Monday about the Portia Rowland *******. Sammy Shafer Jr. is married to Sarah Shafer, 34, who told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week that she was living with Rowland and planning to marry her, and that they were preparing their Collinsville home so Shafer’s three children from a previous relationship could move in. Sammy Shafer Jr. filed for divorce from Sarah Shafer in August 2023 after nearly 10 years of marriage, according to St. Clair County Circuit Court records. That case remains open. Negotiations have involved their three children, ranging in age from 7-14. The couple’s last divorce-related hearing was held on Jan. 14. Another one was scheduled for Feb. 25. Sarah Shafer obtained a three-week emergency order of protection against Sammy Shafer Jr. in April 2024. It was later dismissed. In her request for the order, Sarah Shafer alleged that Sammy Shafer Jr. physically pinned her down, made unwanted ******* advances, took her vehicle keys, removed a fuse from the vehicle so it wouldn’t start and smashed her cellphone. “He called and said if I won’t be with him he’s going to do anything in his power to keep the kids away from me,” stated the request, which listed Sarah Shafer’s address at the Olive Street home. Sammy Shafer Jr. is a well-known businessman who operates S. Shafer Excavating in Pontoon Beach with his father, Sammy Shafer Sr. They work on jobs throughout the region. Illinois Secretary of State records show that Sammy Shafer Jr. also is president of several other businesses, including a trucking company and Caseyville Bridge Inn, a bar on Main Street. A police officer secures yellow tape around a home on Olive Street in Collinsville on Tuesday morning, hours after a fatal shooting occurred near the garage. An X marks the location of a home on Olive Street at Indiana Avenue in Collinsville, where Portia Rowland was fatally shot early Tuesday morning. Collinsville police responded shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday to a report of gunshots heard in the vicinity of Olive Street and Indiana Avenue. They found Rowland, who had been shot multiple times, lying near the garage of a home at 1301 Olive St. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Sarah Shafer told the Post-Dispatch that she was sleeping in the home when police knocked on the door and told her what happened. The Major Case Squad deployed about 30 investigators after being called in on the investigation. By Wednesday afternoon, they had released an image of a suspect from a security camera. The person was dressed in all ******, including a hoodie, and appeared to be holding a handgun. Rowland’s obituary, which was posted on the Irwin Chapel website, described her as a “bright, shining light in this world.” Rowland was a 2010 graduate of Collinsville High School. She liked “working with her hands,” the obituary states. She was employed as a mechanic for Metropolitan Sewer District in St. Louis. “Portia was a talented athlete, and she excelled in playing flag football, volleyball and billiards,” the obituary states. “Her greatest joy was spending time with her family and hanging out with her friends. Portia will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her.” The obituary referred to Sarah Shafer as a “special friend” of Rowland in a paragraph listing her survivors. A visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Monday at Irwin Chapel in Glen Carbon, followed by a ******** service at 7 p.m. Anyone with information on the shooting is being asked to contact the Major Case Squad through Collinsville police at 618-344-2131, ext. 5924, or Crime Stoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477). Source link #Caseyville #businessman #accused #hiring #hitman #kill #wifes #girlfriend #Collinsville Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump says Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok Trump says Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok A Microsoft store in New York, US, on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a bidding war over the app. Microsoft declined to comment. TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for a comment outside regular business hours. TikTok, which has about 170 million American users, was briefly taken offline just before a law requiring its ******** owner ByteDance to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on Jan. 19. Trump, after taking office on Jan. 20, signed an executive order seeking to delay by 75 days the enforcement of the law. Trump said last week that he was in talks with multiple people over buying TikTok and would likely have a decision on the popular app’s future in 30 days. The U.S. president has previously said that he was open to billionaire Elon Musk buying the social media app if the Tesla CEO wanted to do so. Musk, however, has not publicly commented on Trump’s offer. More recently, AI startup Perplexity AI on Sunday made a proposal to merge with TikTok, with the U.S. government getting up to half of the new company in future, a source told Reuters on Sunday. The reported talks mark the second time that Microsoft has been in the frame to acquire TikTok. During his first term, Trump ordered TikTok to separate its U.S. version from ByteDance citing national security concerns. Microsoft emerged as a top bidder in 2020, but the talks soon collapsed, and Trump’s divestment push ended a few months later when he left office. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called the deal the “strangest thing I’ve ever worked on.” The U.S. government had a “particular set of requirements and then it just disappeared,” he said in 2021. Source link #Trump #Microsoft #talks #acquire #TikTok Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Rockets 114-112 Celtics (Jan 27, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN Rockets 114-112 Celtics (Jan 27, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN Rockets 114-112 Celtics (Jan 27, 2025) Game Recap ESPN’I feel like Kobe:’ Rockets’ Thompson silences C’s ESPNAmen Thompson’s hits winning shot in final second as Rockets edge Celtics The Boston GlobeRockets sink Celtics in Boston with buzzer-beater, career-high from red-hot Amen Thompson: ‘I feel like Kobe’ Yahoo SportsIn a career night, Dillon Brooks leads Rockets over Celtics in thriller: 5 takeaways Boston.com Source link #Rockets #Celtics #Jan #Game #Recap #ESPN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google Maps will rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America, but only for US users Google Maps will rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America, but only for US users Yes, Google Maps is renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America,” but you won’t see it when you open the app just yet. In a series of tweets, the News from Google account has revealed that the Maps app will roll out an update with the name change after the US government updates the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which serves as the “federal and national standard for geographic nomenclature.” Google Maps will also change the name of the highest mountain peak in North America from Denali, the name given to it by Alaskan Natives, to Mount McKinley when GNIS reflects its new official designation. When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America. — News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025 Google said it’s a longstanding practice for the company to apply name changes in Maps only after they’ve been updated in official government resources. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to change the body of water’s name, and the Interior Department announced on Friday that it’s now officially known as the Gulf of America. However, only users in the US will see it labeled as such. It will still be called the Gulf of Mexico for users in Mexico, while users from outside either country will see both names in their Google Maps app. Google said that another official longstanding practice is to show official local names when they vary between countries, and as Reuters notes, it has applied the rule to many other areas with naming and territorial disputes like the Sea of Japan. Source link #Google #Maps #rename #Gulf #Mexico #Gulf #America #users Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]