Pelican Press

Endangered snow leopard cub born at Kent big cat sanctuary Endangered snow leopard cub born at Kent big cat sanctuary Jacob Panons BBC News, South East PA Media Little Lady was born on 10 May An animal sanctuary has announced one of its rare snow leopards has given birth to a cub after months of dedicated work. The cub, nicknamed Little Lady, was born at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent, on 10 May. Her successful birth follows months of work by primary trainer Simon Jackaman, who built the trust necessary for mother Laila to voluntarily participate in ground-breaking ultrasound sessions. Celebrity chef and charity ambassador Paul Hollywood said: “Laila has had a special place in my heart for many years and to see her become a mum for the fourth time is truly heart-warming.” PA Media Trust had to be built with mother Laila to do the ground-breaking ultrasound sessions Little Lady weighed 630g (1.4lb) at her first health check when she was five days old. She is just the second female snow leopard to be born at the centre, after her sister Zaya in 2023. Mother Laila has had three previous litters with breeding partner Yarko as part of the sanctuary’s breeding programme. Snow leopards are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list, with an estimated 2,700 to 3,300 mature adults remaining in the wild. They are predicted to lose 30% of their habitat because of climate change in the next 50 to 100 years and they also face threats from poaching and the ******** wildlife trade. “This birth is a testament to our commitment to the participation in the endangered species breeding programme and the conservation of this vulnerable species,” said Cam Whitnall, managing director of The Big Cat Sanctuary. Additional reporting from PA Media. Source link #Endangered #snow #leopard #cub #born #Kent #big #cat #sanctuary Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

House GOP backs 23% ‘pass-through’ tax break for businesses House GOP backs 23% ‘pass-through’ tax break for businesses Nitat Termmee | Moment | Getty Images How to tell if you have qualified business income The QBI deduction applies to so-called pass-through businesses, which report profits or losses on individual tax returns. This includes partnerships and S-corporations, along with some trusts and estates. Sole proprietors, such as freelance, contract and gig economy workers, also qualify. For 2025, the tax break starts to phaseout when taxable income reaches $197,300 for single filers and $394,600 for married taxpayers filing jointly. The deduction can be reduced or eliminated completely, depending on your earnings and type of business (more on that below). For tax year 2022, the most recent data available, there were roughly 25.6 million QBI deduction claims, up from 18.7 million in 2018, the first year of the tax break, according to IRS data. However, the deduction has been controversial because “most of the benefits flow to taxpayers with a lot of income,” said Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy with the Tax Foundation’s Center for Federal Tax Policy. “These are not taxpayers who work a W-2 job and earn a salary,” she said. “They’re business owners who receive business profits on their individual tax returns.” How the QBI deduction could change Currently, certain white-collar professionals — doctors, lawyers, accountants, financial advisors and others — known as a “specified service trade or business,” or SSTB, can’t claim the QBI deduction once income exceeds certain limits. There’s also an income phaseout for non-SSTB businesses, but that doesn’t go to zero. The House bill would change the phaseout calculation, which could provide a ******* tax break for certain SSTB owners, said certified financial planner and enrolled agent Ben Henry-Moreland, senior financial planning nerd for advisor platform Kitces.com, who analyzed the bill last week. If enacted, the higher 23% deduction could offer “some [tax] benefit” for all income levels, but the phaseout changes would primarily benefit higher-income SSTB owners, he said. The House proposed QBI deduction changes would be “more generous and more valuable to higher-income people, especially those in certain industries including lawyers and lobbyists,” Chye-Ching Huang, executive director of the Tax Law Center at New York University Law, wrote in early May. Source link #House #GOP #backs #passthrough #tax #break #businesses Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A 3600km cloud band is stretching across most of Australia – here’s what it means for you A 3600km cloud band is stretching across most of Australia – here’s what it means for you Off the back of a week of wet and wild weather, flood-stricken communities are being urged to prepare for record-breaking rainfall that is making its way across the country. Satellite images show the cloud band stretches 3600km, almost the length of Australia, from Western Australia’s Kimberley Region to the Queensland and NSW borders. The “monster” wet-weather system has already dumped record-breaking rainfall over some parts of WA and the Northern Territory, bringing with it flash flooding and abnormally chilly temperatures throughout the red centre. Camera IconSatellite images show the cloud band stretches 3600km, almost the length of Australia, from Western Australia’s Kimberley Region to the Queensland and NSW borders. Credit: Supplied Sky News meteorologist Alison Osborne said the system “has been feeding off moisture laden air in the tropics, stretching from WA, through to the red centre and pushing into western Queensland”, and the rainfall was “uncharacteristically heavy” for this time of year – especially with the dry season in the region beginning more than a month ago. “The forecast shows showers likely to continue across central parts of the Northern Territory with wet weather pushing through central western Queensland in the early hours of Thursday morning,” Ms Osborne said. This week alone, Broome received 100.6mm of rain in 24 hours – the heaviest May daily rainfall in 20 years. Camera IconMany rural towns across the Northern Territory have been cut off by flash flooding. NewsWire / Scott Calvin Credit: News Corp Australia New monthly records were set at Kalumburu and Wyndham, hit with 111.6mm and 54.6mm respectively. In the NT, Katherine received 179.8mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday, the wettest dry season day the town has experienced since records begun in the 1800s. Tindal was soaked with 179.8mm, with its average May daily rainfall sitting at 2mm, while Rabbit Flat received 77.6mm. Alice Springs recorded its heaviest May rainfall daily total since 1993, with a rainfall of 40.4mm. Camera IconPlaces such as Taree are being urged to prepare after heavy rain hit the Northern Territory, with the rain band moving across the country. NewsWire / Scott Calvin Credit: News Corp Australia The BOM has issued flood watches for significant portions of Central Australia with flash flooding has already cut off numerous rural towns across the NT. The weather system is set to hit Queensland by the weekend. “Cloudy, cool and wet describes the weather for a lot of areas along the east coast (on Friday),” the BOM’s Angus Hines said. “Most of the rain will be between Bundaberg and Townsville, we could actually see some moderate falls around the likes of Mackay and Rockhampton, and it will be pretty wet there through most of the day. Much of the west coast is also in for a soaking, he added. Camera IconCommunities on the NSW Mid North Coast are only just starting to clean up after devastating floods. NewsWire / Scott Calvin Credit: News Corp Australia “When it comes to rain though, there is something a bit more significant to talk about here, and this is bands of showers and storms moving onto the west coast,” Mr Hines said. “(It) really could affect anyone from the Pilbara, right down through the central west, through Perth and down to the very far south west. “When it comes to stormy conditions, storms are most likely south of Geraldton.” It comes as NSW communities are still reeling from devastating floods that has left five people dead, more than 1000 buildings inhabitable and a further 10,000 properties damaged. A massive clean-up blitz has begun, even as showers are expected to continue into the weekend. Source link #3600km #cloud #band #stretching #Australia #heres #means Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia, Salesforce, HP, Tesla and M&S Nvidia, Salesforce, HP, Tesla and M&S Nvidia (NVDA) stock jumped nearly 5% in pre-market trading after the chipmaker posted another blowout quarter, despite limits on how it does business in China. The company reported revenue of $44.06bn (£32.71bn) for the quarter, beating Wall Street expectations of $43.34bn. Growth was once again driven by its data centre division, which saw sales rise 73% year-on-year. That figure fell slightly short of analyst forecasts. Adjusted net income climbed to $19.89bn, up 31% from $15.24bn in the same ******* a year earlier. The result included a $4.5bn charge related to chips developed for the ******** market, which Nvidia can no longer sell due to tightening US export controls. Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks rise as US court ruling blocks Trump tariffs For the current quarter, Nvidia projected revenue of $45bn, plus or minus 2% — slightly below analyst expectations of $45.92bn. The company said the guidance reflects an estimated $8bn in lost sales stemming from the restrictions on shipments to China. In an interview last week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company had already lost $15bn in sales as a result of these rules. “The $50bn China market is effectively closed to US industry,” Huang said. “The H20 export ban ended our Hopper data center business in China. We cannot reduce Hopper further to comply.” “We are exploring limited ways to compete, but Hopper is no longer an option,” Huang continued. “China’s AI moves on with or without US chips.” Josh Gilbert, market analyst at investment platform Etoro, said: “In a quarter of uncertainty, Nvidia has reminded markets why it is the cornerstone of the AI revolution with another solid result and upbeat forecast. “Investors came into this quarter looking for signs that Nvidia could alleviate short-term concerns. What they got was a clear message that demand remains robust, Blackwell is ramping up fast and these results will restore investor confidence. “Despite the China drag, Nvidia’s top-line strength speaks for itself with $44bn in Q1 sales and another $45bn expected next quarter tells us they’re making up for the China loss elsewhere.” Shares in Salesforce (CRM) were higher ahead of the US opening bell as the sales and customer service software maker reported upbeat fiscal first-quarter results and guidance. Revenue for the fiscal first quarter, which ended 30 April, grew 7.6% year over year, the company said in a statement. Net income was $1.54bn, or $1.59 per share, essentially flat compared with $1.53bn, or $1.56 per share, in the same ******* last year. For the current quarter, Salesforce projected adjusted earnings per share of $2.76 to $2.78 on revenue of $10.11bn to $10.16bn — ahead of analyst expectations. LSEG consensus had forecast $2.73 in adjusted earnings per share and $10.01bn in revenue. Read more: Can Tesla sales recover in Europe amid Elon Musk backlash? Have your say The company also raised its full-year guidance. It now expects adjusted earnings of $11.27 to $11.33 per share and revenue between $41.0bn and $41.3bn, implying growth of 8% to 9%. Analysts had been looking for $11.16 per share on $40.82bn in revenue. In February, Salesforce forecast adjusted earnings of $11.09 to $11.17 and revenue of $40.5bn to $40.9bn. Salesforce reiterated its outlook for 9% growth in subscription and support revenue, with some contribution from its Agentforce product. “Everything went well for us this quarter,” Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff told Yahoo Finance. “We had bookings go well, revenue went well, and currency went well.” HP (HPQ) shares fell as much as 15% in pre-market trading, standing around 7% lower at the time of writing, after the company reported a weaker-than-expected second quarter, citing the impact of increased tariff costs that dented profitability. Revenue for the quarter rose 3.3% year over year to $13.22bn, slightly ahead of analyst expectations of $13.14bn. However, net profit fell 17% to $700m compared with the same ******* last year, missing Wall Street forecasts. “Due to additional tariff costs that could not be fully mitigated in the quarter, our non-GAAP operating profit fell short of expectations,” HP chief executive Enrique Lores said on the company’s earnings call. Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolio Despite efforts to reduce its exposure to China by shifting production elsewhere, the company’s outlook and profit margins disappointed investors. “We recently increased our production coming from Vietnam, Thailand, India, Mexico, and the US,” Lores said. “By the end of June, we now expect nearly all of our products sold in North America will be built outside of China.” HP has been working to diversify its supply chain in response to escalating trade tensions and US tariffs on ******** imports, but the short-term financial impact of the transition continues to weigh on results. Tesla shares rose in pre-market trading on Thursday after CEO Elon Musk officially confirmed he is stepping down from his role in the Trump administration, ending a brief and controversial stint at the helm of a government reform initiative. In a post on his social media platform X, the world’s richest man thanked Trump for the opportunity to help run the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. The White House began offboarding Musk late on Wednesday. His role was always intended to be temporary, but the timing of his departure — just a day after he publicly criticised a key Trump policy — has drawn attention. He told CBS News that he was “disappointed” by the domestic policy bill that the president championed and the House passed last week. “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” he said. Shares in the British retailer were lower even as a report showed that it had recorded strong food sales growth in the 12 weeks to 17 May, despite ongoing disruption from a cyberattack that affected operations across the business. According to industry data released by NielsenIQ, M&S food sales rose 10.8% year-on-year during the *******. The retailer also increased its share of the *** grocery market by 20 basis points to 3.8%. The pace of growth marked a slowdown from the 14.7% increase reported in NielsenIQ’s previous 12-week update, reflecting the impact of the cyber incident that forced M&S (MKS.L) to take several systems offline. Read more: Stocks that are trending today As part of its response to the attack, the company halted online clothing orders and experienced reduced availability in its food business — leading to higher levels of waste and increased logistics costs. Last week, M&S warned that the incident would result in a hit of around £300m to its operating profit, with disruption to online services likely to continue until at least July. NielsenIQ’s figures broadly aligned with those published a day earlier by rival researcher Kantar, which also highlighted strong sales performance from discounters Aldi and Lidl, as well as continued momentum from Tesco (TSCO.L), Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L) and online grocer Ocado (OCDO.L). Other companies in the news on Thursday 29 May: Auto Trader (AUTO.L) Helios Underwriting (HUW.L) Braemar (BMS.L) Hollywood Bowl (BOWL.L) Dell Technologies (DELL) Grab Holdings (GRAB) Ulta Beauty (ULTA) Gap Inc (GAP) Bath & Body Works (BBWI) Foot Locker (FL) Kohls Corp (KSS) Marvell (MRVL) Lululemon Athletica (LULU) Cooper (COO) Hormel Foods (HRL) American Eagle (AEO) Read more: Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Source link #Nvidia #Salesforce #Tesla Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for June PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for June NBA 2K25, Alone in the Dark, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk await. Source link #PlayStation #Monthly #Games #June Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump administration will ‘aggressively revoke’ ******** student visas in major escalation with Beijing – CNN Trump administration will ‘aggressively revoke’ ******** student visas in major escalation with Beijing – CNN Trump administration will ‘aggressively revoke’ ******** student visas in major escalation with Beijing CNNTrump administration to ‘aggressively’ revoke visas of ******** students BBC‘They Make People Too Scared’: ******** Students Reckon With U.S. Visa Bans The New York TimesNew Visa Policies Put America First, Not China U.S. Department of State (.gov)Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US will begin revoking the visas of ******** students The Boston Globe Source link #Trump #administration #aggressively #revoke #******** #student #visas #major #escalation #Beijing #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elden Ring Nightreign Q+A: We chat with producer Yasuhiro Kitao Elden Ring Nightreign Q+A: We chat with producer Yasuhiro Kitao The wizards at FromSoftware change things up a bit in this months ‘Elden Ring Nightreign’, a fast-paced, multiplayer focused RPG adventure. We had the chance to chat with producer Yasuhiro Kitao to find out more about what makes the game tick. Source link #Elden #Ring #Nightreign #chat #producer #Yasuhiro #Kitao Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gloomy outlook for *********** economy as private investment shrinks, according to the latest ABS stats Gloomy outlook for *********** economy as private investment shrinks, according to the latest ABS stats Falling private sector investment “is a canary in the coal mine” for Australia’s economic outlook, a peak industry lobby group has warned. Source link #Gloomy #outlook #*********** #economy #private #investment #shrinks #latest #ABS #stats Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dune: Awakening Interview – Joel Bylos Shares His Inspirations, MMO Knowledge, & Development Process Dune: Awakening Interview – Joel Bylos Shares His Inspirations, MMO Knowledge, & Development Process TNS: We had the opportunity to interview Joel Bylos, Chief Creative Officer at Funcom, who is now spearheading Dune: Awakening. Source link #Dune #Awakening #Interview #Joel #Bylos #Shares #Inspirations #MMO #Knowledge #amp #Development #Process Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Xiaomi’s Tesla Y rival YU7 hits showrooms in Beijing Xiaomi’s Tesla Y rival YU7 hits showrooms in Beijing By Qiaoyi Li and Alessandro Diviggiano BEIJING (Reuters) -Xiaomi rolled out its new sports utility vehicle in Beijing on Thursday, as the firm best known for smartphones and consumer electronics gears up to further challenge Tesla in the world’s largest auto market. Xiaomi launched the YU7 at 13 of its Beijing showrooms and will start taking orders for the vehicle in July. It is keen to repeat the success of the sporty SU7 sedan, which launched last year and has outsold Tesla’s Model 3 on a monthly basis since December. Analysts have said the YU7 could pose a major threat to Tesla’s best-selling Model Y but its launch comes at a time when Xiaomi, a relative newcomer to China’s highly-competitive EV market, has seen new EV orders fall after a series of controversies. ******** authorities have been investigating a fatal highway ****** at the end of March involving an SU7 in driving-assistance mode and Xiaomi has apologised for “not clear enough” marketing after customer complaints of false advertising. Liu Jiaxing, a 34-year-old tech worker, was among the first visitors to Xiaomi’s flagship showroom in Beijing Oriental Plaza on Thursday morning, eager to catch a glimpse of the emerald green YU7. Liu said he was fond of the styling and colour as well as the fact that Xiaomi vehicles connect with the firm’s personal gadgets and smart home products, which he felt pointed to how local brands understood ******** consumers better than their foreign counterparts. “I used to be more prone to U.S., ******* and French car marques, but the fast progress of China’s EV sector prompts me to focus more on the products rather than brands,” he said. Another visitor was Tom van Dillen, managing partner at ******* management consultancy Greenkern in Beijing, who said he was not a fan of some of the YU7’s intelligent features, which he described as “unnecessary”, but said the YU7 was a formidable challenger to the Model Y. He cited a “physical ecosystem advantage in the showroom where there is a dedicated area with accessories that only fit into Xiaomi cars” and their competitive price. Xiaomi has said that it will only announce the YU7’s pricing in July. HSBC Qianhai estimated in a note last week that the new SUV will be priced between 230,000 yuan and 330,000 yuan ($31,989-$45,898) and that Xiaomi could ship 100,000 YU7 units this year and 249,000 units in 2026. The Model Y is priced from 263,500 yuan in China. ($1 = 7.1899 ******** yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Qiaoyi Li and Alessandro Diviggiano; Editing by Brenda Goh and Kate Mayberry) Source link #Xiaomis #Tesla #rival #YU7 #hits #showrooms #Beijing Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dollar rises after Trump's tariffs face court roadblock – Reuters Dollar rises after Trump's tariffs face court roadblock – Reuters Dollar rises after Trump’s tariffs face court roadblock ReutersFederal court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs under emergency powers law AP NewsTrump tariff ruling threatens to pile chaos on top of chaos AxiosUS court blocks most Trump tariffs, says president exceeded his authority ReutersTariffs, and Trump’s entire economic agenda, were just thrown into chaos CNN Source link #Dollar #rises #Trump039s #tariffs #face #court #roadblock #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GSFL 2025: Perfect 10 coaches votes for Michael McGlade in Royals narrow win, Darcy Wallinger leads overall GSFL 2025: Perfect 10 coaches votes for Michael McGlade in Royals narrow win, Darcy Wallinger leads overall Royals midfielder Michael McGlade picked up a perfect 10 in his first polling of the season in the Great Southern Football League coaches votes on Saturday. McGlade was a unanimous choice as best-on-ground by the two coaches, in the Lions tense four-point win over Denmark-Walpole at McLean Park. The Lions, who have won two games in a row, picked up most of the votes from the game with Declan McNamara and Seb Stanton also polling well. It was the first votes for McGlade in the 2025 GSFL Coaches Player of the Year Award. McNamara continued his strong season with seven votes and Stanton received four while Nelson Tulip and Ryan Hick from the Magpies got three each. Mt Barker gun Darcy Wallinger remains in the outright leader of the award, having picked up more votes in round five of the season. Wallinger (26 votes) holds a three-vote advantage over his teammate Daniel Patching, while Railways’ Ryley Valli and Bulls’ Darcy Clarke are just one vote further back. Patching and Clarke were highly influential in the Bulls’ 38-point win over North Albany at Collingwood Park. Camera IconMt Barker’s Darcy Wallinger is the outright leader of the coaches votes. Credit: Melinda Walsh The pair picked up nine votes each while Kangas midfielder Matt Orzel added five votes to his tally. Wallinger and Bulls forward Brandon Ugle collected three votes. Opinions were split in the top-of-the-table clash as the Tigers won by 60 points over Albany at Retravision Stadium. Eight players received votes from the coaches with only Lachie Cale and Logan Stubber featuring for both coaches. Young Tiger Cale picked up seven votes while Sharks’ Bailey Taylor, Stubber and Tigers ruck Shane Braimbridge all got five. Just six votes separate the top six players on the leaderboard with McNamara (21) and Sharks’ Bryce Blaszkow (20) well within striking distance. Cale joins teammate Jayden Scott on 19 and closely followed by Isaac Baum (18) and Orzel (17). Each league coach votes 5-4-3-2-1 for players on both sides at the end of every game. 2025 Coaches’ Player of the Year Award Voting Round 5 Albany v Railways 7 Lachie Cale (RAIL) 5 Bailey Taylor (ALB) 5 Logan Stubber (RAIL) 5 Shane Braimbridge (RAIL) 3 Declan Willey (RAIL) 2 Bryce Blaszkow (ALB) 2 Ryley Valli (RAIL) 1 Bodhi Stubber (RAIL) Denmark-Walpole v Royals 10 Michael McGlade (ROY) 7 Declan McNamara (ROY) 4 Seb Stanton (ROY) 3 Nelson Tulip (DW) 3 Ryan Hick (DW) 2 Joel Flick (ROY) 1 James Charlesworth (DW) North Albany v Mt Barker 9 Daniel Patching (MB) 9 Darcy Clarke (MB) 5 Matt Orzel (NA) 3 Brandon Ugle (MB) 3 Darcy Wallinger (MB) 1 Regan Christensen (NA) Leaderboard 26: Darcy Wallinger (MB) 23: Daniel Patching (MB) 22: Ryley Valli (RAIL) Darcy Clarke (MB) 21: Declan McNamara (ROY) 20: Bryce Blaszkow (ALB) 19: Jayden Scott (RAIL) Lachie Cale (RAIL) 18: Isaac Baum (ALB) 17: Matt Orzel (NA) 15: Taj Williams (ALB) 13: Seb Ballard (MB) Hayden Parker (RAIL) 12: Tyler Stone (DW) Kobi Keen (NA) 11: Kane Pinney (ALB) 10: Sam Holmes (ALB) Michael McGlade (ROY) Source link #GSFL #Perfect #coaches #votes #Michael #McGlade #Royals #narrow #win #Darcy #Wallinger #leads Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

2 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks Down About 30% to Buy Now and Hold Forever 2 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks Down About 30% to Buy Now and Hold Forever Shares of Realty Income and NNN REIT have fallen a long way from peaks they reached in 2020. Realty Income is an international real estate investment trust with over 30 years of steady dividend raises. NNN REIT is one of just a few REITs that has raised its dividend payment for at least 35 consecutive years. 10 stocks we like better than Realty Income › Investors looking for stocks that can produce heaps of passive income are often tempted by ultra-high-yield stocks that offer yields more than triple the market average. Unfortunately, a dividend stock’s yield rarely rises to such heights unless investors have good reasons to worry about future cash flows being sufficient to raise the payout further. When the stock market opened on May 28, shares of Realty Income (NYSE: O) and NNN REIT (NYSE: NNN) were down by 30% and 29%, respectively, from peaks they set in 2020. Their stock prices are down, but not the dividend payments they send out. Both companies have steadily raised their payouts and currently offer yields that are more than triple the average yield you can receive from stocks in the benchmark S&P 500 index. Rising bond yields are the No. 1 issue pressuring the prices of these two real estate investment trusts (REITs). The risk-free rate investors can receive from U.S. Treasuries is a lot higher than it was the last time these stocks peaked. Unlike Treasuries, these two dividend payers regularly raise their payouts. Here’s why most income-seeking investors should consider adding shares of both to their portfolios. Image source: Getty Images. Realty Income acquired its first commercial property in 1970, and at the end of March 2025, its portfolio had grown to over 15,600 buildings. Spread throughout the U.S. and nine European countries, it’s one of the more geographically diverse REITs you can invest in. Returning a steadily increasing profit has been this REIT’s primary focus since its inception, and it has succeeded. Since becoming a publicly traded company in 1994, it has raised its monthly dividend payout every quarter. Individually, those raises seem insignificant, but steady movement in the right direction adds up over time. Realty Income has raised its payout by 46% over the past decade. A rising dividend payout coupled with a declining stock price has lifted the yield this stock offers to a juicy 5.7% at recent prices. There have been plenty of economic downturns since 1994, but Realty Income has been able to weather them thanks to a tried and true business model for commercial property owners. Nearly all of this REIT’s tenants sign net leases that hold the lessee responsible for variable expenses associated with building ownership, such as insurance, maintenance, and taxes. With rent escalators written into lease agreements that are typically 10 to 20 years long, incoming cash flows are highly predictable. Lire la suite In addition to a well understood net lease strategy, Realty Income’s size and reputation allow it to borrow at lower interest rates than nearly all its peers. For example, it raised $600 million at 5.125% over a 10-year ******* this April. That’s only about 0.7 percentage points higher than the rate institutional investors receive these days from 10-year Treasury notes that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Realty Income’s portfolio is enormous, but the vast majority of commercial properties out there are not yet owned by net lease REITs. With access to cheap capital and a large addressable market, there’s a strong chance this stock can keep raising its payout for years. Investors new to REITs can think of NNN REIT as a smaller version of Realty Income. Its commercial property portfolio contained 3,641 buildings at the end of March. Unlike its larger peer, this net lease REIT’s entire portfolio is located in the U.S. While located entirely in the U.S., there is some diversity to NNN REIT’s portfolio. Its largest tenant, 7-Eleven, is responsible for just 4.5% of all the rent payments it receives annually. Its five largest tenants are responsible for less than 19% of annualized base rent. A limited geographic footprint would limit growth for a REIT the size of Realty Income, but NNN REIT is still small enough that the U.S. market for *****-leaseback transactions alone can support a satisfactory growth rate. This stock has raised its quarterly dividend for 35 consecutive years. It isn’t rising at a blazing pace, but the payout is up by 33% over the past decade. At recent prices, NNN REIT offers a big 5.6% dividend yield and a great chance to see the payout continue rising steadily. In the first quarter, funds from operations (FFO), a proxy for earnings used to evaluate REITs, grew 3.6% year over year to $0.85 per share. That’s more than it needs to support a quarterly dividend payout currently set at $0.58 per share. Adding some shares to a diversified portfolio now and holding forever looks like the right move. Before you buy stock in Realty Income, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Realty Income wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $653,389!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $830,492!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 982% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Realty Income. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks Down About 30% to Buy Now and Hold Forever was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #UltraHighYield #Dividend #Stocks #Buy #Hold Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

U.S. Trade Court blocks President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on countries including China U.S. Trade Court blocks President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on countries including China The U.S. Court of International Trade has ruled that President Trump’s sweeping tariffs, levied on nations including China, were unlawful, in a move that could significantly reshape the ongoing trade war and impact the price of technology. The court declared that all of President Trump’s measures are “invalid as contrary to law” because the emergency law used to pass them does not give the President unilateral authority to impose such sweeping measures. In a ruling dated May 28, three judges concluded that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 “does not authorize any of the Worldwide, Retaliatory, or Trafficking Tariff Orders” considered by the court in the case. Specifically, they say the Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariff orders imposed by Washington “exceed any authority granted to the President by the IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs.” Regarding Trafficking Tariffs, the court says these fail “because they do not deal with the threats set forth in those orders.” Consequently, the court ordered that all the challenged Tariff Orders be vacated and their operation permanently enjoined. You may like The White House has already filed a notice of appeal, and such decisions can be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, and of course, the U.S. Supreme Court. In a statement reported by the BBC, the administration said, “It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.” Continuing, White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai said, “President Trump pledged to put America First, and the Administration is committed to using every lever of executive power to address this crisis and restore American Greatness.” Considering previous reports, tariffs could increase tech prices by up to 70%. Legal suspension of tariffs levied on countries, including China, could be an enormous relief to suppliers of hardware, including the semiconductor industry, as well as component parts, notably GPUs. Earlier this month, it was reported that Nvidia has raised prices by 10-15% to combat rising manufacturing costs and tariffs, while TSMC recently called on Washington to drop tariffs on semiconductors made outside the U.S.. Responding to a U.S. Commerce Department’s call for public comments, the global silicon leader said “we respectfully request that the Administration avoids imposing tariffs or other restrictive measures on semiconductors made outside of the United States,” claiming tariffs raise the cost of endconsumer products and lower demand for such products and the components they contain. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Source link #U.S #Trade #Court #blocks #President #Trumps #sweeping #tariffs #countries #including #China Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Stock Markets Break Higher Again Stock Markets Break Higher Again Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks. Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed. Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website. It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website. Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers. © 2007-2025 – Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved. Source link #Stock #Markets #Break #Higher Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Oil prices climb $1 as US court blocks Trump tariffs – Reuters Oil prices climb $1 as US court blocks Trump tariffs – Reuters Oil prices climb $1 as US court blocks Trump tariffs ReutersFederal court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs under emergency powers law AP NewsTrump tariff ruling threatens to pile chaos on top of chaos AxiosUS court blocks most Trump tariffs, says president exceeded his authority ReutersTariffs, and Trump’s entire economic agenda, were just thrown into chaos CNN Source link #Oil #prices #climb #court #blocks #Trump #tariffs #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Shining a light on trailblazers in Indigenous medicine Shining a light on trailblazers in Indigenous medicine Tatum Bond is one of those “lucky people” who truly loves her job. The Ngadjonji woman works in the emergency department at Cairns Base Hospital, and for the Royal Flying Doctors Service in Queensland. “I love the pace,” Dr Bond told AAP. “One day I’m dealing with patients who have broken bones and cuts – things that aren’t too serious – and then the next day being able to save someone’s life or make their final days on Earth comfortable.” Growing up, Dr Bond was always intrigued by the human body, and knew she wanted to be a doctor from a young age. “My mum tells this story of when I was about three years old … I was supposed to be asleep in bed and instead I was watching a TV show through the wall about a baby that had been born with its organs on the outside,” she said “Apparently I poked my head through and said, ‘I want to be a doctor when I grow up’.” Dr Bond was the first Indigenous emergency department specialist in Queensland, and is one of just 10 across the country. Bringing her knowledge of culture and her passion for caring for her people to the job means Dr Bond can break down barriers for patients, sometimes in the most difficult moments of their lives, she said. “The thing I can do when I go to community is I can talk to the spokesperson of the family, I can create that relationship between myself and whoever I’m treating,” she said. Dr Bond is one of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical professionals featured in the documentary series Our Medicine. The series shines a spotlight on Indigenous frontline workers across hospitals, ambulance services, traditional healing and other medical services who are working to improve health outcomes in their communities. Dr Bond said, while she was initially nervous to be part of the six-part series, she hopes she can show others they can also achieve their dreams. “The main reason I said yes is because this whole thing is empowering younger generations to come and do these jobs,” she said. While the series follows a number of Indigenous medical professionals, producer and co-director of Our Medicine, Karla Hart said there are many more who are doing great things in health. “We went in with the glass half full and focusing on Blak excellence and the brilliant work of a lot of people across the country,” the Noongar woman said. “There’s so many more people that are out there doing incredible things, and I just feel immensely proud of that.” The first episode of Our Medicine premieres on NITV on Thursday night. Source link #Shining #light #trailblazers #Indigenous #medicine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

******** students anxious and angry after Rubio vows to revoke visas ******** students anxious and angry after Rubio vows to revoke visas HONG KONG (AP) — ******** students studying in the U.S. are scrambling to figure out their futures after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that some students would have their visas revoked. The U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some ******** students, including those studying in “critical fields”, and “those with connections to the ******** ********** Party,” according to the announcement. China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the United States, behind only India. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the U.S. This is a “new version of ******** Exclusion Act,” said Linqin, a ******** student at Johns Hopkins University, who asked to be identified only by his first name out of fear of retaliation. He was referring to a 19th-century law that prohibited ******** from immigrating to the U.S. and banned ******** people already in the U.S. from getting citizenship. He said Wednesday was the first time he thought about leaving the U.S. after spending one third of his life here. ******** international students are point of tension between U.S. and China China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, called the U.S. decision unreasonable. “Such a politicized and discriminatory action lays bare the U.S. lie that it upholds the so-called freedom and openness,” she said Thursday, adding that China has lodged a protest with the U.S. The issue of ******** students studying overseas has long been a point of tension in the bilateral relationship. During Trump’s first term, in 2019, China’s Ministry of Education warned students about visa issues in the U.S., with rising rejection rates and shortening of visas. Last year, the ******** Foreign Ministry protested that a number of ******** students have been unfairly interrogated and sent home upon arrival at U.S. airports. ******** state media has long hyped gun violence in the U.S. and violent protests during the pandemic, and portrayed the U.S. as a dangerous place that wasn’t safe for its citizens. The tense bilateral relationship has also meant that some ******** students are opting to study in the U.K. or other countries over the U.S. after the pandemic. Zou Renge, a 27-year-old public policy master’s student at the University of Chicago, said she had planned to take some time off and work in humanitarian aid programs abroad after graduating at the end of this year. But now, she will refrain from leaving the U.S. and will look for jobs in the meantime. “In a very uncertain environment, I’ll try my best to find myself a solution,” she said. Hong Kong seeks to draw in talent amid uncertainty Some were eager to capitalize on the uncertainty facing international students in the U.S. Hong Kong’s leader John Lee told lawmakers on Thursday that the city would welcome any students who have been discriminated against by American policies to study in the city. “The students who face unfair treatment can come from different countries beyond the U.S. I think this is an opportunity for Hong Kong,” he said. “We will work with our universities to provide the best support and assistance.” That followed a widely shared post by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology inviting Harvard students to “continue their academic pursuits” there after Trump said he would revoke the university’s ability to accept international students. Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to China in 1997, is a popular destination for mainland ******** students to pursue their university degrees because of its international image and relative freedoms. The city launched a new visa scheme in 2022 to counter the exodus of expatriates and local professionals that occurred after Beijing imposed a national security law to quell dissent and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kitty Wu, director of education consultancy Litz USA Student Service in Hong Kong, said some students who planned to apply to American universities in the future are now also considering the University of Hong Kong, the city’s top university and an option because of its high ranking — something that had not happened before. “Things are different every day now, we don’t know how things will change in the future, so we don’t know the impact for next year,” she said. Will Kwong, managing director at Hong Kong’s AAS Education Consultancy, said his company was helping students with offers from American universities to apply to other institutions, predominantly in Britain and Australia. U.S. was known for diversity and this will hurt it, students say “Having fewer international exchanges is definitely not good for America’s development,” said Zhang Qi, a postdoctoral fellow in Beijing. “This could be a positive change for China’s development. More talented individuals may choose to stay at Tsinghua or Peking University, or with the ******** Academy of Sciences and other top institutions in China, which would benefit the development of domestic science and technology.” For many, there is little they can do as they now wait for the fallout from the move. Chen, an incoming ******** student at Purdue University who only gave his last name out of concern for retaliation by the Trump administration, has been waiting anxiously for his visa approval. But he was also angry. Currently in China, he said this was the exact opposite of what he thought the U.S. stood for. “I was expecting freedom and tolerance. The U.S. was known for its diversity which allows international students to fit in, but it is a pity to see such kind of change,” he said. —- Fu Ting reported from Washington, Wu from Bangkok. Associated Press researcher Shihuan Chen and video producer Olivia Zhang contributed to this report from Beijing. Source link #******** #students #anxious #angry #Rubio #vows #revoke #visas Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

California avocado growers say ******** imports have helped their sales – AP News California avocado growers say ******** imports have helped their sales – AP News California avocado growers say ******** imports have helped their sales AP NewsView Full Coverage on Google News Source link #California #avocado #growers #******** #imports #helped #sales #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Glen Quartermain: Will Sean Darcy reward coach’s show of faith with recall against Gold Coast? Glen Quartermain: Will Sean Darcy reward coach’s show of faith with recall against Gold Coast? Unapologetic in his advocacy of Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson flourishing in the same team, Dockers coach Justin Longmuir has stared down critics of the union with this week’s selection, writes Glen Quartermain. Source link #Glen #Quartermain #Sean #Darcy #reward #coachs #show #faith #recall #Gold #Coast Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

First Flight For Quarterhorse Prototype That Aims To Lead To A Reusable Hypersonic Jet First Flight For Quarterhorse Prototype That Aims To Lead To A Reusable Hypersonic Jet Aviation startup Hermeus has completed the first flight of its uncrewed Quarterhorse Mk 1, as part of its hypersonic test aircraft project. Hermeus aims to eventually build an uncrewed flight vehicle capable of beating the SR-71’s absolute speed record for an air-breathing crewed aircraft — 2,193.2 miles per hour, achieved in 1976 — and then to explore the hypersonic realm, which is defined as anything over Mach 5. These objectives are still a long way off, however, and it appears that Quarterhorse Mk 1 won’t explore supersonic flight. Quarterhorse Mk 1 taxies at Edwards AFB. Hermeus Hermeus Announced today, the Quarterhorse Mk 1 first took to the air last week at Edwards Air Force Base, California, when it “achieved stable flight and landed smoothly,” according to the company. A video released by Hermeus appears to show a takeoff and then a brief ******* in the air, followed by it setting down shortly after on the Edwards lakebed. “Mk 1’s flight validated our rapid, iterative approach to airplane development and advanced our mission to radically accelerate aviation,” Hermeus added. Among the byproducts of this approach is the relatively ‘rough’ external finish of the Mk 1 aircraft. Quarterhorse Mk 1 on the lakebed at Edwards AFB. Hermeus James Reeder A first flight for the Mk 1 flying prototype had been planned for some time toward the end of 2024. It’s unclear why this timeline slipped. The Mk 1 was preceded by a ‘dynamic iron bird’ test rig, also known as Quarterhorse Mk 0, which you can read more about here. This non-flying prototype was used to validate major aircraft subsystems, including in taxi runs at the Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) in Tullahoma, Tennessee. A video showing the Quarterhorse Mk 0 test rig: Throughout the project, Hermeus has stressed rapid, iterative development and prototyping. The non-flying Quarterhorse Mk 0 was built in just six months, and all its test objectives were completed in 37 days of testing. Now, with the Mk 1, Hermeus says it went “from clean sheet to flight-ready” in a little over a year. As part of this effort, the company is building four Quarterhorse aircraft of successively greater complexity and scope. The Mk 1 aircraft flown last week was built to verify takeoff and landing of an uncrewed aircraft in this configuration, and is not apparently planned to trial high-speed flight. It is powered by a General Electric J85 turbojet, as used in the Air Force’s T-38 Talon jet trainer, for example. Quarterhorse Mk 1 is towed out at Edwards AFB. Hermeus Other aspects of the flight-test program for the Quarterhorse Mk 1 are examining aerodynamics, stability, and control. Testing of the Mk 1 is also intended to validate various subsystems, including propulsion, fuel systems, hydraulics, power, thermal management, avionics, flight software, telemetry, flight termination, and command and control. The Mk 1 will be followed by the Quarterhorse Mk 2, intended to reach supersonic speeds below Mach 3. Currently, the Mk 2, which will be around the same size as an F-16, is in production at Hermeus’ headquarters in Atlanta. The company says it should fly before the end of this year. This will be powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine, also used in the F-16. Quarterhorse Mk 2 build in progress at Hermeus’ Atlanta HQ. Hermeus Rendering of the Quarterhorse Mk 2. Hermeus Finally, Quarterhorse Mk 3 will hit speeds beyond Mach 3 and, as Hermeus states, “demonstrate turbojet-to-ramjet mode transition in flight and break the all-time airspeed record held by the SR-71.” Notably, the Mk 1 that is now embarking on the flight-test program is not the same vehicle as the “prototype” that Hermeus rolled out in November 2021, as The War Zone reported at the time. This vehicle lacked any obvious flight control surfaces or landing gear, but did feature a functioning engine with afterburner, as seen in the video embedded here. The Hermeus Quarterhorse ‘prototype’ lights its afterburner during the rollout in November 2021. Hermeus At the heart of the Quarterhorse series will be a so-called turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine. This combines a ramjet or scramjet — optimized for very high speeds — with a more traditional jet turbine, which can be used for takeoff, landing, and other lower-speed portions of flight. You can read more about the specific advantages of a TBCC powerplant in this previous story. As with any high-speed aircraft program, especially one that aims to eventually explore the hypersonic realm, the challenges are great and the potential for failure is high. However, if all goes to plan, Hermeus’ Quarterhorse series could feed into the Air Force’s broader effort to explore potential future hypersonic and supersonic executive transport aircraft concepts. A concept for a future hypersonic transport aircraft from Hermeus. Hermeus Beyond that, some of the various technologies that Hermeus is working on could be used in other applications by the U.S. military. In particular, Hermeus has pointed to the potential for its technologies to be used for missions including the transport of time-critical cargo and reconnaissance. For these applications, the company proposes what it describes as a “mid-size autonomous aircraft.” In the past, the U.S. military has repeatedly shown interest in finding ways to rapidly deliver military cargo around the globe, and there have been persistent references made to a potential future hypersonic and strike reconnaissance aircraft. More modest proposals could see Hermeus providing a testbed for hypersonic technologies or even building surrogate hypersonic targets. Air Force interest in Hermeus’ work has already been formalized. Hermeus received $60 million in funding from the Air Force and venture capital firms to support the Quarterhorse flight test program, the company announced in 2021. Hermeus has claimed that its Quarterhorse program is primarily aimed at commercial markets, with the potential of fielding “the fastest reusable aircraft in the world.” While the idea of resurrecting supersonic passenger travel has long been tempting, it’s so far failed to yield any practical hardware and has seen other startups fold. Whether the Quarterhorse series eventually leads to some kind of ‘son of Concorde’ is highly questionable, but there’s no doubt that the military has expressed interest in at least exploring the potential of very high-speed uncrewed aerial vehicles. As well as the promise of performance, Hermeus’ approach also reflects Air Force interests in the rapid development of iterative designs, an idea that has been around for a while, but which is now widely seen as critical to ensuring capabilities and combat mass, especially when it comes to crewed aircraft, drones, and munitions. A rendering of an operational Quarterhorse flying through the air at high speed. Hermeus Hermeus uses the term “hardware richness” to describe building multiple prototypes in quick succession, which should allow multiple aircraft to complete their full development cycles in a very short time *******. If the company is able to master this, it could provide a way of churning out new (uncrewed) aircraft designs at a “pace not seen in the U.S. since the 1950s.” The ‘iterative design and development roadmap’ proposed by Hermeus for the Quarterhorse program. Hermeus Clearly, there are very many challenges that lie ahead if Hermeus is to succeed in bringing a reusable hypersonic aircraft to the hardware stage, and doing it quickly. In the meantime, we can now look forward to the first flight of the faster and more capable Quarterhorse Mk 2, planned for later this year. Contact the author: *****@*****.tld Source link #Flight #Quarterhorse #Prototype #Aims #Lead #Reusable #Hypersonic #Jet Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Uyghur Workers Are Moved to Factories Across China to Supply Global Brands Uyghur Workers Are Moved to Factories Across China to Supply Global Brands By David Pierson, Vivian Wang and Daniel MurphyGraphics by Pablo Robles. Produced by Nico Chilla and Rumsey Taylor May 29, 2025 China’s mass detention and surveillance of ethnic Uyghurs turned its far western region of Xinjiang into a global symbol of forced labor and human rights abuses, prompting Congress to ban imports from the area in 2021. But the ******** government has found a way around the ban — by moving more Uyghurs to jobs in factories outside Xinjiang. A joint investigation by The New York Times, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Der Spiegel found that state-led programs to ship Uyghur workers out of Xinjiang are much more extensive than previously known. China has placed Uyghurs in factories across the country that make a wide range of goods used in brand-name products around the world, the investigation found. And it has done so with little to no visibility for supply-chain auditors or border and customs officials charged with spotting labor abuses and blocking the import of tainted goods. Both the United States and the European Union have adopted laws aimed at preventing consumers and businesses from funding the persecution of Uyghurs in China. These state-run labor transfer programs pose a significant challenge. It may be possible to target imports from Xinjiang, but tracking the relocation and treatment of workers from Xinjiang to factories across China is a much more difficult endeavor. By the best available estimates, tens of thousands of Uyghurs now toil in these programs. The workers are paid, but the conditions they face are unclear. And U.N. labor experts, scholars and activists say the programs fit well-documented patterns of forced labor. China makes no secret of these labor transfer programs. It says that participation is voluntary and argues that moving Uyghurs into jobs across the country gives them economic opportunities and helps address chronic poverty in Xinjiang. But experts and activists say Uyghurs usually have no choice but to accept the job assignments, and that the programs are part of Beijing’s efforts to exert control over a ********* population that has historically resisted ******** rule. As many as 12 million Uyghurs, a Central Asian, ******* people, reside in Xinjiang, located on the border with Kazakhstan. In the United States, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act bars imports from Xinjiang, unless the importer can prove that they were not made with forced labor. Forced labor has been reported in different forms in Xinjiang, in prisons, mass internment camps and large-scale relocation programs within the region, and, the U.S. government says, in the production of cotton, textiles, critical minerals and solar panels. The U.S. law also bars imports from companies outside Xinjiang that work with the government to receive workers from Xinjiang who are Uyghur or members of other persecuted groups. But that provision is difficult to enforce, leaving a blind spot for those trying to root out forced labor from supply chains. The transfer of Uyghur workers from Xinjiang is a potential flashpoint in the trade war between China and the Trump administration, which has accused Beijing of “ripping off” the United States and producing goods at artificially low costs, including through exploitative labor conditions. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, was one of the 2021 law’s lead authors when he was a Florida senator. Our findings are based on an examination of publicly available government and corporate announcements, state media reports, social media posts and research papers. Among them are local government notices describing the number of Uyghurs transferred to factory sites, and state media reports on meetings in which officials discuss how to manage Uyghur workers. Some show photos of workers in neat rows at train stations before departing Xinjiang. A sendoff ceremony for a group of migrant workers from the city of Hotan in Xinjiang in 2020. Source: gov.cn The scale of the labor transfers is evident on ******** social media, where Uyghurs have posted videos of themselves leaving home, working on factory lines and posing outside dormitories. We determined where the videos were shot by comparing the features of buildings and streets with satellite imagery, street-view maps and publicly available photographs of factories. Some videos show other Central Asian minorities from Xinjiang, including Kazakhs and Kyrgyz people, who also face persecution and are covered by the U.S. law. Reporters from The Times and Der Spiegel visited the areas around two dozen factories linked to Uyghur labor in eight cities in the central province of Hubei and the eastern province of Jiangsu, and spoke to more than three dozen workers as well as the owners of restaurants and other businesses frequented by them. We did not ask interviewees for their names to minimize the risk of retaliation by the authorities, who consider the treatment of Uyghurs to be a national security issue. (We are also not disclosing the names of the people whose social media videos we found and we have blurred their faces to avoid exposing them.) Several workers suggested, with some hesitation, that they labored under close supervision. They said their jobs had been arranged for them and that they sometimes needed permission to leave factory grounds, usually upon arrival. Security guards at some factories also confirmed they had been sent Uyghur workers by government agencies. Other workers said that they had taken the jobs willingly and were staying in them on their own accord. One worker in Hubei Province told The Times that he and about 300 other Uyghurs lived in a dormitory separated from staff identified as from the majority Han ******** population. He said they were assigned minders from their home counties in Xinjiang, were allowed to leave the factory premises and could return to Xinjiang if they gave a month’s notice. He said he worked up to 14 hours a day, and earned a monthly salary of up to 6,000 yuan, or $827, about the national average for a factory worker in China. The interview ended abruptly when several men surrounded the worker and demanded to know who he was and why he was not at work. Human rights advocates argue that Uyghurs have little choice but to accept such job assignments outside Xinjiang. If they refuse, they risk being labeled a “troublemaker,” a serious charge in a region where people have been subjected to lengthy detentions for even the faintest signs of dissent or religious expression, like owning a Quran. At the same time, the jobs offer the promise of a higher wage, in contrast to the limited opportunities and tight surveillance that Uyghurs face in Xinjiang. The vast majority of Xinjiang’s labor transfers take place inside the region. The government said there were 3.2 million transfers in 2023, a figure that includes workers being transferred more than once, and the tens of thousands sent to other provinces. The International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency, said in a February report that the labor transfer programs appeared to use measures “severely restricting the free choice of employment.” The reach of these programs, and China’s dominant role in the global economy, mean a wide range of multinational companies rely on suppliers that have received Uyghur workers. Some of these suppliers produce goods for the ******** market, including those we found processing chicken for McDonald’s and KFC restaurants in China. Others make products for export, such as washing machines for LG Electronics and footwear for Crocs. The risk of ******** suppliers using Uyghur workers is sensitive for ******* automakers, including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which have tried to address their history of using forced labor in the Nazi era by apologizing and compensating victims. Our investigation identified more than 100 companies that appeared to receive Uyghur workers or parts or goods produced by them. Most did not respond to multiple requests for comment, including LG, Tesla, Midea and KFC. Others such as McDonald’s declined to comment, or provided statements that only emphasized corporate policies prohibiting forced labor in their supply chains. A handful of companies, including Crocs, denied their suppliers used forced labor, but did not address the question of whether their suppliers had hired ethnic ********* workers who had been transferred by the government from Xinjiang. “Based on recent audits, we do not have reason to believe that any of our suppliers are in violation of our policies,” the Broomfield, Colo.-based footwear company said. Companies risk having their imported goods seized by customs officials in the United States if their suppliers are found to have been using forced labor. The European Union enacted legislation similar to the American law last year, but will not begin enforcing it until 2027 to give member nations time to prepare. China detained more than 1 million Uyghurs in internment camps from 2017 to 2019 in the name of fighting extremism. After the camps closed, an estimated half a million Uyghurs were sentenced to prison, rights groups say. State-directed labor transfer programs have been part of Beijing’s efforts to assimilate Uyghurs since the early 2000s, with China’s ********** Party promoting the notion that labor is honorable. Sources: Xinjiang Airport Group; gov.cn; China Daily; Yangtse Evening Post But the programs grew significantly around the time internment camps were introduced in 2017, said Adrian Zenz, an anthropologist and a leading expert on Uyghur forced labor. Since the U.S. ban on imports from Xinjiang came into force in 2022, the number of Uyghurs transferred out of the region has grown. Speaking at a press briefing in 2022, Chen Lei, an inspector from Xinjiang’s Rural Revitalization Bureau, indicated that the authorities aimed to increase the number of workers moved to other parts of China by a third in 2023 to more than 38,000, according to a government report posted online. Labor transfer “is the only measure I see that has become more intense,” said Mr. Zenz, the director of China Studies for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington. “And the reason for that is that this is a long term mechanism of social control and indoctrination.” In 2023, Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, told officials during a visit to Xinjiang that they should be vigilant against threats to stability and “encourage and guide Xinjiang people to go to the ******** interior to find employment.” Uyghur activists accuse Beijing of relocating Uyghurs in an attempt to change the demographic composition of Xinjiang and erase expressions of Uyghur and ******* identity. “This is not about poverty alleviation. This is about dispersing Uyghurs as a group and breaking their roots,” Rayhan Asat, a human rights lawyer at the Atlantic Council whose brother has been imprisoned in Xinjiang since 2016. If multinational brands cannot guarantee that their suppliers are free of forced labor, then they should find other suppliers that they can guarantee are, or pull out of China altogether, Ms. Asat said. In a written response, the ******** Embassy in Washington denied that forced labor is used in Xinjiang, saying that such allegations were “nothing but vicious lies concocted by anti-China forces.” It said that China rejected the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, calling it an interference in China’s internal affairs. The statement also asserted that all residents in Xinjiang “enjoy happy and fulfilling lives” and that the government’s policies are focused on making the region safer. “Xinjiang-related issues are not human rights issues at all, but in essence about countering violent terrorism and separatism,” it said. Jobs as Social Control Little is known about the lives of the Uyghurs sent to work in factories across China. Censors frequently scrub the internet of anything deemed critical or unflattering of the government. Still, social media provides a window. Some videos show workers raising their right fists and pledging allegiance before a ******** flag, evidence of the ideological training that experts say is often mandatory for Uyghur workers on such job programs. A poultry processing plant in Dalian, Liaoning A poultry processing plant in Suizhou, Hubei The activity is about “showing loyalty to the ********** Party,” said Yalkun Uluyol, the China researcher at Human Rights Watch. Some videos posted by workers hint at feelings of homesickness, at times using Uyghur poetry. Thwarting a Law Aimed at Protecting Uyghurs From outside, the sprawling white and blue factory complex in the central ******** city of Jingmen looks like a giant sheet cake. Behind its walls, workers make automotive and aerospace equipment, specializing in lightweight aluminum chassis parts and brake systems. The Hubei Hangte Equipment Manufacturing Company’s website displays the logos of customers such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda and Hyundai. But it says nothing about the pipeline of Uyghur workers from Xinjiang that the company relies on. News releases posted elsewhere say government officials visited the factory to check on workers sent from Xinjiang as recently as April last year. And a video posted by a state-owned human resources company that helps facilitate labor transfers, Xinjiang Zhengcheng Minli Modern Enterprise Services, indicates that the firm recruited workers for the factory in August 2023. The previous year, Hubei Hangte hosted a meeting with ********** Party officials and educators from Xinjiang and described measures it had taken to better manage workers from the region. That included ensuring that their activities were “controllable” and that they refrained from “laxity,” “drinking” and, curiously, “swimming in groups.” “We will strive to make Hangte a model unit for employment of Xinjiang people in Jingmen City,” Chen Yun, the company’s deputy general manager, said in a statement posted online at the time. Xinjiang Zhengcheng Minli Modern Enterprise Services and Hubei Hangte did not respond to requests for comment. BMW acknowledged that Hubei Hangte may provide parts to one of its direct suppliers. It said it has asked that supplier to investigate. Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, also said they had opened investigations. Mazda said it had no “direct” relationship with Hubei Hangte, and General Motors, Ford and Hyundai said they prohibited forced labor in their supply chains but declined to answer questions about Hubei Hangte. It is not uncommon for global brands to have several layers of suppliers, explaining why companies may not have a direct relationship with a factory. Shipment records provided by a trade data firm show that, since May 2021, Hubei Hangtei’s parts have been shipped to India, Indonesia, Mexico, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Canada, as well as the United States, where shipments would be subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. One U.S. customer of the ******** company is a subsidiary of the ******* auto parts manufacturer Mahle Industrial Thermal Systems, which said in a statement that it prohibits the use of forced labor by its suppliers. Mahle did not answer questions about Hubei Hangte. Another transaction that may violate the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act occurred last July, when a ******** manufacturer of computer equipment known as Transimage sent at least two shipments to a San Diego address for Samsung America Electronics, according to trade data. Transimage, also known as Jiangsu Chuanyi Technology Company Ltd., received help recruiting workers from a labor dispatch center in Akqi County in Xinjiang in 2023, according to a post on a local government social media account. Social media posts by workers show employees at the factory who appear to be Kyrgyz wearing teal jackets embroidered with the company’s name. Transimage did not respond to requests for comment. Samsung said in a statement that it found no evidence of forced labor at Jiangsu Chuanyi Technology, adding that it “prohibits its suppliers from using all forms of forced labor.” This article was produced with support from the Pulitzer Center. Source link #Uyghur #Workers #Moved #Factories #China #Supply #Global #Brands Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mud and rock buries evacuated Swiss village after glacier collapse, one person missing – CNN Mud and rock buries evacuated Swiss village after glacier collapse, one person missing – CNN Mud and rock buries evacuated Swiss village after glacier collapse, one person missing CNNGlacier collapse buries most of Swiss village BBCGlacier collapse causes landslide that buries Swiss village in ice, mud and rock CBS NewsAlpine village largely destroyed after Swiss glacier collapse causes ‘major catastrophe’ ABC NewsAlpine village is largely destroyed when a Swiss glacier collapses AP News Source link #Mud #rock #buries #evacuated #Swiss #village #glacier #collapse #person #missing #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft’s Copilot for Gaming AI Chatbot Now in Public Testing on Xbox Mobile Apps Microsoft’s Copilot for Gaming AI Chatbot Now in Public Testing on Xbox Mobile Apps Microsoft began public testing of its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for Xbox gamers, Copilot for Gaming, on Wednesday. It is currently available in the beta version of the Xbox app for mobile on iOS and Android devices. The Redmond-based tech giant said that the AI chatbot can answer queries about games, provide tips to beat a level in a game, and even recommend games to play based on the other games a user has played. The company has also asked beta testers to provide feedback about the new experience. Copilot for Gaming Arrives as A Second-Screen Companion for Gamers In a newsroom post, Microsoft’s Xbox division announced the rollout of the chatbot to select individuals. In this early test, Copilot for Gaming will be available to those using the beta version of the Xbox app on iOS and Android. The early preview is available in the English language for players aged 18 or older. Copilot for Gaming is currently being tested in a large number of regions, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the US. Currently, the AI chatbot is not available in the European Union nations and in the ***. Microsoft said these regions will be added at a later date. Copilot for Gaming Photo Credit: Xbox The chatbot is currently available on a second screen, so that it does not distract gamers from their core gameplay experience. Copilot for Gaming can access the user’s Xbox activity, including account data, play history, and achievements, and contextualise its responses based on that information. Additionally, it can also source information from the web to assist users. With this version of Copilot for Gaming, users can ask questions about any game. For instance, they can ask the chatbot about the materials needed in Minecraft to craft a sword or how to beat the boss of the first trial in Hogwarts Legacy. Users can also ask the chatbot for gaming recommendations. They can either describe the kind of game they’d like to play, or the AI can suggest new games to play based on users’ gaming history. Additionally, users can also ask questions about their play history or accounts. These questions can be around their Xbox achievements or subscription details. Source link #Microsofts #Copilot #Gaming #Chatbot #Public #Testing #Xbox #Mobile #Apps Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Taekwondo instructor admits to shocking triple ******* Taekwondo instructor admits to shocking triple ******* A taekwondo instructor has admitted to a shocking triple ******* in Sydney’s west in which he killed a couple and a seven-year-old child. Kwang Kyung Yoo on Thursday pleaded guilty to three counts of ******* when he appeared in the Parramatta Local Court. He admitted to murdering Min Cho, 41, and a seven-year-old child at a North Parramatta taekwondo studio, as well as Ms Cho’s husband, Steven Cho, 39, at a Baulkham Hills home on February 19 last year. The North Kellyville man has been in custody since he was arrested in hospital and will now face sentencing proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court. Ms Cho and the child were killed inside the taekwondo studio where the boy was a student. Camera IconKwang Kyung Yoo pleaded guilty to three counts of *******. Credit: SuppliedCamera IconMurder victims Steven Cho and Min Cho. Supplied. Credit: Supplied Yoo, who was known to his students as Master Lion, left the bodies inside the studio before driving Ms Cho’s white BMW to her Baulkham Hills home, where Mr Cho was stabbed several times. NSW Police found Mr Cho’s body at the Watkins Rd, Baulkham Hills address before the bodies of his wife and the child were discovered by police two hours later. Yoo drove to Westmead Hospital with stab wounds to his chest, arms and stomach and claimed he was randomly attacked in a Woolworths carpark. However he sustained the injuries while stabbing Mr Cho to death. He will now appear in the Supreme Court in August before he is sentenced at a later date. Source link #Taekwondo #instructor #admits #shocking #triple #******* Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]