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Justin Langer: Feeling on edge when the IPL turned from a game of cricket to escaping a war zone Justin Langer: Feeling on edge when the IPL turned from a game of cricket to escaping a war zone For those attending a match or simply visiting the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala, it’s not only the promise of a game of cricket that excites, but rather, an unforgettable experience amidst nature’s grandeur. Perched at an elevation of 1457m above sea level, the air is crisp and clean, offering the players unique conditions while also providing spectators and visitors with breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding Himalayan landscape. The natural backdrop is stunning. Nestled amidst the majestic Dhauladhar mountain range, the stadium offers a visual treat, especially when the snow-capped peaks glisten under the sun. The combination of lush green outfields and towering mountains creates a serene and picturesque environment, making it a favourite among players and fans alike. From April 27 to May 5 I was lucky to be in Dharamsala where I had a wonderful week learning lessons from the serenity of the Dalai Lama’s hometown. Despite losing our Indian Premier League match to Ricky Ponting’s Punjab Kings, I can attest to the assessment that the HPCA Stadium is one of the most beautiful venues in the world. Leaving Dharamsala felt a real shame, but the show had to go on as we returned to Lucknow for our next game. Three days later, on May 8, we sat watching the Punjab Kings annihilate the Dehli Capitals. After 10 overs the Kings were 122 runs, and Ponting was smiling with his chest out proudly as his young openers were smashing the ball to all parts of the ground. Being interviewed in the dugout, he was cautiously optimistic and positive about his team’s prospects for the remainder of the tournament. The ground looked a picture as usual; the fans were singing and dancing in approval and the IPL was buzzing into top gear as the play-offs approached. But then, like a heart attack, everything stopped. The floodlights at the stadium went ******. From the TV we thought this must be a glitch. A power outage, as was later reported. But, for those at the ground, the darkness marked the start of a ******* of tension, apprehension and fear. The crowd was slowly evacuated by local police and the venue operations team. The players, officials and families were taken back to their hotels and asked to wait for further information. For those in the area, the lights crashing was the start of chaos as whispers circulated like the growing winds of a cyclone. Had the escalating conflict spread to the region? How do we get out of here with planes and drones mixing it up in the skies above? Each whisper grew its own wings and according to a person at the ground “it was very, very scary”. Those sentiments have been confirmed by many who were there, leading to the Board of Control of Cricket in India taking the bold step of postponing the tournament. In normal circumstances the postponement of a game is met by varying emotions, but in this case the recent conflict between India and Pakistan — which marked one of the most intense escalations in decades — was front of mind for those at the ground. This crisis — triggered by a terrorist attack on April 22 in Kashmir where 26 people, including Indian and Nepalese nationals, were killed — has been prevalent through all media across India. Like all terrorist attacks, the news back then was met with disbelief. But since then the increasing tensions between the two countries was clear. That said, the strange feeling, was that at no stage did anyone here in India feel that life was much different than normal. A postponement or rescheduling of the IPL certainly wasn’t on the cards. That was until that game on May 8 between the Kings and the Capitals. From there, things moved swiftly. Information was flying back and forward and WhatsApp groups were lighting up with various reports, speculations and assumptions — from a full-blown war to a storm in a tea cup. With panic and confusion everywhere, confirmation of the tournament being suspended hit our hotel in Lucknow. Camera IconRicky Ponting during the abandoned game last week. Credit: Surjeet Yadav/MB Media/Getty Images Within hours our flights were booked for home. This was no mean feat. An IPL squad and its entourage of players and staff, numbers in the sixties to seventies. These are big operations. Add all the families, and there was a degree of urgency. Our franchise was instructed to wrap up all operations, including at the hotel and at the ground. Suddenly, and just like that, the showtime of the IPL, was over. By midnight, Mitch Marsh, Warren Andrews (the Western *********** strength and conditioning manager) and I, had flown from Lucknow to Chennai, awaiting our flight to Dubai and then home to Perth. This all felt surreal. After eight weeks in India the show was over. No authentic goodbyes or post-season reviews, just a few handshakes and WhatsApp messages to the team we had been living with for a couple of months. “What has just happened”, was the initial emotion. Flying home, from Dubai, the live TV on the plane’s entertainment system advertised a “Breaking News Headline”, stating that both Indian and Pakistani militaries had agreed to a ceasefire and that hostilities would end immediately. By the time the pilot was announcing our descent into Perth, Marsh had asked if I had read my WhatsApp message from India. I hadn’t, but I guessed what it might say. As quickly as the IPL had been postponed, it was to re-start, imminently. Confusion again ignited. Within 24 hours we were flying back to India, and we will play our next game on Monday night. A friend summed it up when they said, “even your jet lag will be jet lagged”; and while it feels a bit like that, we are back into it. For the second time this week, I thought, “what just happened?”. This experience reminded me of the early months of 2020, when the world tilted on its axis. What began as distant headlines about a novel coronavirus in Wuhan transformed with terrifying velocity into a global pandemic that rewrote the rules of human interaction. The first signs arrived like whispers — an unusual pneumonia raising concerns for doctors in China. Then came images: deserted streets in bustling metropolises, make-shift hospitals erected in days, healthcare workers in hazmat suits. Gradually, the realisation dawned that invisible danger now lurked in the very air we breathed, in the embrace of a loved one, or on the handle of anything we touched. Decision-makers found themselves navigating a storm without maps. Leadership was tested, and casualties of leadership resulted through the pandemonium. Leaders who had built careers on certainty now found themselves uttering the three most difficult words in politics: “We don’t know”. The stress was intense. Scientists raced to understand a virus that revealed new mysteries with each day. Should schools close? For how long? Were masks effective or merely symbolic? Immunisation? The questions multiplied faster than answers could be formulated. Epidemiological models projected terrifying death tolls, while economists warned of catastrophic financial collapse. Both couldn’t be right — yet somehow, they were. Phrases like “flatten the curve” and “social distancing” entered the glossary of the time. Hospitals and healthcare workers faced the unthinkable. Doctors who had taken oaths to heal, found themselves devising triage protocols, determining who would receive life-saving care when resources ran thin. Nurses held iPads for dying patients to say goodbye to families who couldn’t enter the ward. The emotional toll was incalculable. Parents juggled remote work while supervising children’s online learning, their homes transformed into offices, classrooms and fortresses against an invisible threat. The elderly found themselves cut off from family, their loneliness a cruel but necessary protection. Zoom, FaceTime or Teams became the portal through which we glimpsed birthdays, funerals, weddings — all the rituals that mark human existence now flattened on to screens. In many cases this was nothing short of heartbreaking. The pandemic forced us to confront uncertainty. Those who navigated these waters most successfully didn’t claim to predict the unpredictable — they acknowledged the limitations of our knowledge and proceeded with both caution and courage. This week, like during the peak of COVID, I learnt a couple of valuable lessons. In crisis, it is important to take a breath and gather all the information available. It’s better to over-communicate the facts, rather than under-communicate what you know. Camera IconA resident is taken away in an ambulance from Epping Gardens Aged Care Facility in Epping, Melbourne, Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Credit: DANIEL POCKETT/AAPIMAGE WA Premier Mark McGowan was the champion of this philosophy. Individuals will face the challenges in different ways and this should be respected. For those in Dharamsala last week, the fear was real. For the rest of us, we can never understand those emotions because we felt relatively unscathed where we were staying. Our only pain was flying back and forward from Australia in 24 hours. Sure, things may have been done a little differently with hindsight, but when it comes to war or pandemics, hindsight is always an easy ally. It also made me realise how lucky we are in Australia and the incomprehensible toll that war has on people all around the world. Source link #Justin #Langer #Feeling #edge #IPL #turned #game #cricket #escaping #war #zone Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Woman shoots boyfriend, sends bullets into neighboring apartment after finding him cheating Woman shoots boyfriend, sends bullets into neighboring apartment after finding him cheating LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A woman is accused of shooting her boyfriend after finding him having sex with another woman, sending bullets into a neighboring apartment and forcing a family to duck for cover, documents said. Jessica Kennedy, 34, faces charges including attempted *******, child abuse, and domestic battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, records said. On Thursday, May 8, a person called 911 about a shooting at an apartment building near Fremont Street and Eastern Avenue. The caller whispered to a dispatcher, “Please come, someone is shooting,” documents said. Officers arrived, finding a man injured in a nearby alley, they said. The man later told police his girlfriend, identified as Kennedy, shot him. A neighbor told police they heard the gunshots and that several gunshots came through the wall and almost hit a child, documents said. The neighbor told police she and her son hid under their kitchen table until police arrived. The neighbor also reported that the unit where the bullets originated was vacant and she had complained to her landlord several times, documents said. Another witness told police she heard a man and woman screaming before hearing gunshots. Video police obtained showed a woman, who they identified as Kennedy, ******** on a door with a gun and saying, “You want to play with me?” before shooting, documents said. The woman in the video then walked to another door, said “That felt good. Imma [sic] kill you [expletive]” before firing another round, according to police. Kennedy told police she recently “purchased a handgun on the streets… for protection,” documents said. She explained she returned to the apartment, finding the victim having sex with another woman. “Jessica described that she was upset about the situation and [admitted] to shooting the handgun into the apartment through the window,” documents said. “Jessica said she started to walk away but [the victim] was antagonizing her, saying he was going to kill her.” The victim was expected to survive. Kennedy is a convicted felon and is prohibited from owning firearms, police said. During Kennedy’s initial court appearance, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Daniel Westmeyer set bail at $50,000, records said. Kennedy remains in custody on Thursday. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 28. Incidents of domestic violence decreased nearly 6% for the first five months of 2025 compared to last year, according to LVMPD data. Domestic-violence-related murders increased from seven this time last year to 10 so far in 2025. If you need help, SafeNest offers a 24-hour emergency hotline at 702-646-4981. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Source link #Woman #shoots #boyfriend #sends #bullets #neighboring #apartment #finding #cheating Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tornado warnings issued for 8 counties as severe storms sweep across Michigan – The Detroit News Tornado warnings issued for 8 counties as severe storms sweep across Michigan – The Detroit News Tornado warnings issued for 8 counties as severe storms sweep across Michigan The Detroit NewsSevere storms broke out across Michigan on May 15, 2025 MLive.com13 FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAY ENDING – MOST OF THE AREA STAYS DRY WTVGStorm knocks out power to tens of thousands in West Michigan WOODTV.comSevere storms leave trail of damage throughout Mid-Michigan Source link #Tornado #warnings #issued #counties #severe #storms #sweep #Michigan #Detroit #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Telstra rolls out phone box upgrades to connect communities and Australia’s most vulnerable in times of need Telstra rolls out phone box upgrades to connect communities and Australia’s most vulnerable in times of need Telstra is upgrading 1000 of its public phones to improve disaster resilience for at-risk communities. Source link #Telstra #rolls #phone #box #upgrades #connect #communities #Australias #vulnerable #times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

An Israeli woman on her way to give birth is killed in a West Bank attack An Israeli woman on her way to give birth is killed in a West Bank attack TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Tzeela Gez was on her way to the hospital to bring new life into this world when hers was suddenly cut short. As her husband drove their car through the winding roads of the occupied West Bank late Wednesday, a ************ attacker shot at them. Within hours, Gez, nine months pregnant, was dead. Doctors barely saved the life of the baby, who is in serious but stable condition. Israel says it is trying to prevent such attacks by waging a monthslong crackdown on West Bank militants that intensified earlier this year. But the escalating offensive, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians over 19 months, displaced tens of thousands and caused widespread destruction, has ultimately not snuffed out attacks. And the latest bloodshed is only likely to fuel a cycle of violence that has persisted for decades between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel has pledged to find the attacker, who fled the scene, and the military chief of staff, who visited the area Thursday, told troops that the broader operation would continue alongside the manhunt. “We will use all the tools at our disposal and reach the murderers in order to hold them accountable,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, according to a statement from the military, which said it had sealed ************ villages in the area of the attack and set up checkpoints. The shooting, especially because the victim was a pregnant mother with three other children, has the potential to ignite vigilante violence against Palestinians by radical Jewish settlers. They regularly storm ************ towns and villages, burning and damaging property, in response to such attacks. Marauding settlers are rarely held to account for their actions and Palestinians are left to pick up the pieces of the destruction with little recourse to compensation or assistance from Israeli authorities. ‘A mother in her essence’ Gez, 37, and her husband Hananel, were residents of Bruchin, a settlement of some 2,900 in the northern West Bank. She worked as a therapist and on her Facebook page, shared developments in her professional life as well as her thoughts on the war in Gaza, the fallen Israeli soldiers and the hostages still held by ******. Meital Ben Yosef, head of the settlement’s local council, told Israeli Army radio that Gez was “all mother. A mother in her essence.” “A couple of parents were driving to the happiest moment that a parent can experience and the wife is killed on the way. It’s a horrific incident,” she said. Photos of the car released by the military showed a bullet hole on the passenger side of the windshield and a streak of blood on a back door. Soldiers searched the rugged brush on the sides of the road following the attack, according to video released by the Israeli military. Abu Obeida, spokesman for ******’ armed wing, praised the attack as “heroic” in a video statement Wednesday but stopped short of saying the militant group was behind it. On Thursday, military checkpoints slowed down traffic on roads in the vicinity of the attack, and many ************ motorists were at a standstill as they tried to make their journeys, according to video shared on social media. Concern about reprisal attacks The attack sparked outrage and calls for revenge. “Just as we are flattening Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza, we must flatten the nests of terror in Judea and Samaria,” wrote the Israeli finance minister and a settler firebrand, Bezalel Smotrich, in a post on X, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name. The violence in the West Bank escalated when the war in Gaza erupted with ******’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Israel has staged frequent raids in the territory, especially but not limited to its north, using ground and air power in violence that has killed many militants but also other Palestinians, some of them throwing rocks to protest the incursions as well as others not involved in confrontations. On Thursday, the Israeli military said its forces killed five militants in a raid that appeared unrelated to Gez’s killing. ****** mourned the men as “resistance heroes” but stopped short of claiming them as its fighters. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 ******** war, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, all territories the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Around 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in about 130 settlements scattered across the West Bank. Much of the international community views settlements as ******** and an obstacle to ************ statehood. Israel views the West Bank as its biblical heartland and believes the fate of the settlements should be determined in peace negotiations, which have been moribund for some 15 years. Israel says much of the ************ militancy in the West Bank is fueled by Iran and views the fighting there as part of its ongoing multifront wars to secure its borders and prevent a second Oct. 7-style attack. ___ Associated Press writers Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP’s war coverage at Source link #Israeli #woman #give #birth #killed #West #Bank #attack Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Farm Simulator: 16bit Edition review – the simple joy of ploughing your own furrow | Games Farm Simulator: 16bit Edition review – the simple joy of ploughing your own furrow | Games When I got my first job in games journalism 30 years ago, I arrived just too late to review games for my favourite ever console: the ***** Mega Drive. Although a few titles were still being released for the machine in 1995, the games magazine world had moved on and all anyone wanted to read about were the Sony PlayStation and ***** Saturn. It was a bitter blow. Fast-forward to 2025 and a resurgent interest in producing new games for vintage home computers and consoles has led to Farming Simulator: 16bit Edition – a Mega Drive instalment in the hugely successful agricultural sim series. The passion project of Renzo Thönen, lead level designer and co-owner of Farming Simulation studio Giants Software, the game has been written using an open-source Mega Drive development kit, and manufactured in a limited run of genuine Mega Drive cartridges. Slotting this brand new release into the cart of my dad’s ancient Mega Drive II console felt ridiculously moving and I thought the game could only be a letdown after that. But I was wrong. The cartridge of Farming Simulator: 16bit Edition. Photograph: Giants Software Farming Simulator: 16bit Edition takes the basic rhythms of its stablemates – sowing, harvesting and selling crops – and puts them in an isometric environment where workable fields are interspersed with useful buildings such as fuel depots, seed stores and garages. You begin with basic tractors and harvesters, but as you carefully work the land, you grow and sell wheat to earn money, thereby opening the prospect of upgrading your machinery and buying more powerful vehicles. Eventually, you make enough money to unlock new farm areas, but the basic game play is always the same: you slowly and carefully drive your tractors over your land, ploughing and sowing and harvesting as the seasons pass. In this reduced format, the sedate pace of the farming simulator games should become a dull repetitive chore; robbed of intricately detailed 3D visuals, real-time weather systems and supplementary activities, all you’re doing is effectively mowing the lawn. Over and over again. Let’s be honest: transferring the complex, multilayered 3D sim into a console that launched at the same time as the world wide web and the first mass manufactured Nokia mobile phone was always going to be a technical challenge. A trip down memory lane … a ***** Mega Drive running Farming Simulator: 16bit Edition. Photograph: Keith Stuart/The Guardian But somehow, the system still works. Perhaps it’s the nice chug-chug sound effects of the tractors, or the amusingly precarious steering that often sends you crashing into a tree; or maybe it’s the sheer nostalgia of the rugged 2D visuals. I don’t know. I just know that I’ve kept playing. Veteran Mega Drive owners may be reminded of the Desert, Jungle and Urban Strike games or the isometric strategy delights of Populous or General Chaos. But what’s really fascinating is seeing a modern game genre on this old machine and wondering, what score would it have received from contemporary gaming mags such as ***** Power or Mega? Perhaps, this is one for Mega Drive nuts like me who thrill at the idea of running something new on their beloved artefact – like playing a 4K Blu-ray movie on a Toshiba video recorder. It’s also going to be tough to secure one as only 1,000 are being made. However, Giants has previously released a Commodore 64 version of the game, Farming Simulator C64, which is now available to play for PC, and perhaps an emulated version of this one will also find a way to modern machines. And yet, like a deluxe half-speed remaster of some old vinyl album, there is emotional value in the format itself. This is why Giants isn’t alone in producing new carts for the old consoles. The excellent puzzle platformer Tanglewood appeared for the Mega Drive a few years ago and a promising shooter Earthion is coming later this year. Limited Run games has also made a whole range of new SNES carts for classic titles. I wish my dad were around to see me reviewing a new release for the last console we played on together. As someone who spent all his boyhood summers staying on a farm, he certainly would have loved this game. For now, I will keep ploughing these fields and selling wheat, enjoying the tranquil cycle of nature as rendered on a machine as out of date as an ox cart. Farming Simulator: 16bit Edition is available now, £43 Source link #Farm #Simulator #16bit #Edition #review #simple #joy #ploughing #furrow #Games Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

New Jersey Transit strike underway; some 350,000 commuters scramble for transportation – ABC News New Jersey Transit strike underway; some 350,000 commuters scramble for transportation – ABC News New Jersey Transit strike underway; some 350,000 commuters scramble for transportation ABC NewsNJ Transit strike 2025 update: Rail engineers’ union BLET go on strike, impacting 350,000 commuters 6abc PhiladelphiaNew Jersey Transit Train Service Is Shut Down After Engineers Walk Out The New York TimesNJ Transit pushes critical service advisory on eve of first rail strike in decades NBC New YorkNJ Transit Workers Go On Strike: What to Know WSJ Source link #Jersey #Transit #strike #underway #commuters #scramble #transportation #ABC #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Global Happiness Curve Is Collapsing. What Does That Mean? The Global Happiness Curve Is Collapsing. What Does That Mean? For decades, research showed that the way people experienced happiness across their lifetimes looked like a U-shaped curve: Happiness tended to be high when they were young, then dipped in midlife, only to rise again as they grew old. But recent surveys suggest that curve is starting to flatten. Christina Caron, a Well reporter, explains. Source link #Global #Happiness #Curve #Collapsing Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Arrives on Geekbench; US Model Could Feature Exynos 2400 Chipset Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Arrives on Geekbench; US Model Could Feature Exynos 2400 Chipset Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is expected to debut later this year as the successor to the Galaxy S24 FE that’s currently on ***** in India and global markets. The Galaxy S24 FE, like the models before it, was powered by an in-house Samsung-made processor, the Exynos 2400e. This was the slightly watered-down version of the Exynos 2400 chipset which powered the Galaxy S24 (a premium flagship) last year. Unlike the Galaxy S24 series where Samsung used different processors for various markets, the Galaxy S25 series was launched with a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy SoC on all models in the lineup. Now, details of the chipset on the Galaxy S25 FE have surfaced online. A recent Geekbench entry spotted by tipster Abhishek Yadav, adds to the contradictory rumours surrounding the purported Samsung Galaxy S25 FE smartphone. The Geekbench listing shows the product name, the score it achieved, and details about its processor, RAM, and software version. The listing contradicts a recent report, which stated that the Galaxy S25 FE could use a Dimensity 9400 SoC, the Geekbench listing shows the smartphone being powered by an Exynos 2400 processor. This isn’t a bad choice by any means, it’s just that MediaTek’s processor offers better performance (3.62GHz) and is more efficient given that it uses the 3nm manufacturing process. The Exynos 2400 chip also powered the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24 Plus models in India last year. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE was initially said to be powered by the same chipset that powers the currently available Galaxy S24 FE model. As per the above-mentioned report, we got to know of a MediaTek-powered option. It was said that MediaTek chipsets would only be used if Samsung’s foundries struggled to produce Exynos chips. With a new Geekbench listing confirming that an Exynos 2400-powered Galaxy S25 FE exists, it now seems like Samsung could use the Galaxy S24’s strategy with chipsets. The Geekbench listing shows a model number with a ‘U’ indicating that the US models of the Galaxy S25 FE may be powered by the Exynos chipsets, while other countries may be lucky to get a MediaTek-powered option. All-in-all it still remains unclear whether Samsung will offer a MediaTek-powered option for its Galaxy S25 FE smartphone this year. Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details. Source link #Samsung #Galaxy #S25 #Arrives #Geekbench #Model #Feature #Exynos #Chipset Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

North West Regional Volleyball Tournament set for third year in Karratha North West Regional Volleyball Tournament set for third year in Karratha The North West Regional Volleyball Tournament is set to return for its third consecutive year, drawing teams from across the Pilbara for a weekend of high-level competition and community engagement. Scheduled for June 7–8, the annual tournament will feature 13 men’s and women’s teams representing Tom Price, Port Hedland and Karratha, all competing for the sought-after Champions Shield. This year’s event promises to be the biggest yet, with the inclusion of elite State League matches as part of the tournament program. Thanks to support from the Western *********** Volleyball Association, round nine of the WAVL State League will be played in Karratha, marking a significant milestone for the region’s sporting community. Two high-profile matches will be held on Saturday, June 7, at Karratha Leisureplex with a women’s match between Reds and Chequers at 4.30pm and UWA playing Chequers at 6pm in a men’s contest. The showcase fixtures are expected to draw strong crowds and provide an opportunity for the community to witness top-tier volleyball action typically reserved for metropolitan centres. In addition to the tournament and showcase games, the North West Volleyball Association is offering a series of free community workshops and clinics running from June 5-8. These sessions are designed to support skill development across all levels, with a focus on coaching, refereeing and junior training. The clinics are open to the public and will be held at various locations including DLGSC, St Luke’s College and Karratha Leisureplex. For more information see the North West Volleyball Facebook page. Source link #North #West #Regional #Volleyball #Tournament #set #year #Karratha Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) With PaperMatte Display Launched Globally Alongside Huawei FreeBuds 6 Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) With PaperMatte Display Launched Globally Alongside Huawei FreeBuds 6 Huawei hosted a launch event in Berlin on Thursday. The company unveiled a host of products on the day, including the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) and the Freebuds 6 earphones. The tablet comes with a Tandem OLED PaperMatte display and dual-cell 5,050mAh battery with 100W wired fast charging support. The Huawei Freebuds 6, on the other hand, have 11mm dynamic drivers alongside micro-flat tweeters and a claimed 36 hours of total playback time. The earphones were initially unveiled in China in March this year. Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025), Huawei Freebuds 6 Price, Availability Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) price in Italy and select European countries is set at EUR 849 (roughly Rs. 81,400) for the sole 12GB + 512GB configuration. It is offered in a Premium Gold shade. Meanwhile, the price of the Huawei Freebuds 6 earphones is listed at EUR 159 (roughly Rs. 15,300). They are offered in ******, Purple, and White colourways. Both products are currently available for purchase via the official e-store. Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) Features, Specifications The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) sports a 12.2-inch Tandem OLED PaperMatte display with a 1,840×2,800 pixels resolution, a 274 ppi pixel density, a 144Hz refresh rate, and 2,000 nits peak brightness level. The screen is said to support P3 wide colour gamut, Delta E <1 colour accuracy, and has a 92 percent screen-to-body ratio. Huawei has not confirmed the chipset details of the MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) tablet. The tablet supports 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. It runs on HarmonyOS 4.3 out-of-the-box and is equipped with quad speakers, a 50-megapixel main rear camera alongside an 8-megapixel ultrawide shooter, and an 8-megapixel front-facing sensor. The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) packs dual 5,050mAh batteries (effectively 10,100mAh) with support for 100W wired fast charging. For security, it has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.2, USB 3.1 Gen 1, GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo and QZSS. It measures 182.53×271.25×5.5 mm in size and weighs 508g. Huawei Freebuds 6 Features, Specifications The Huawei Freebuds 6 carry 11mm dynamic drivers and micro-flat tweeters. The earphones have a water-drop shape and a semi-open ear design. The classical and balanced preset EQ modes are tuned by the Central Conservatory of Music’s chief tuning team. The headsets come with HWA Lossless and Hi-Res Wireless certifications. Huawei’s new semi-open Freebuds 6 TWS earphones support up to 95dB noise cancellation, up to 90ms low latency and dual-device connectivity. Users can answer or reject calls with a shake or a nod of their head. They are claimed to offer a battery life of up to 36 hours, together with the case. Each earbud carries a 39.5mAh battery, while the charging case has a 510mAh cell. Source link #Huawei #MatePad #Pro #PaperMatte #Display #Launched #Globally #Huawei #FreeBuds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The S&P 500 Did Something in April That’s Been Witnessed Only 6 Times in 75 Years — and It Points to a Very Specific Directional Move for Stocks The S&P 500 Did Something in April That’s Been Witnessed Only 6 Times in 75 Years — and It Points to a Very Specific Directional Move for Stocks In April, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 fell into correction territory, while the Nasdaq Composite dipped into a full-fledged bear market. Multiple catalysts, including President Donald Trump’s (often-changing) tariff policy, have spurred momentous bouts of volatility on Wall Street. Historic two-day declines in the S&P 500 have traditionally led to outsized returns for opportunistic and optimistic investors. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › There is no shortage of ways for investors to grow their nominal wealth, including buying real estate, purchasing a Treasury bond or certificate of deposit (CD), or putting their money to work in various commodities, such as gold, silver, and oil. However, no asset class has delivered a higher average annual return over the last century than stocks. Though multidecade charts for the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI), broad-based S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), and growth-fueled Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) point decisively higher, a narrower view of trading activity shows that volatility and uncertainty are perfectly normal on Wall Street. Since the benchmark S&P 500 peaked on Feb. 19, the Dow Jones and S&P 500 both (somewhat briefly) dipped into correction territory. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite entered its first bear market in three years. Image source: Getty Images. Normally, stock market corrections and bear markets are eyebrow-raising events by themselves. But a historic bout of volatility throughout most of April is what stole the show. Although historic volatility can, at times, be scary, one extremely unique occurrence for the S&P 500 in April points to a clear directional move for stocks that should have optimistic long-term investors smiling from ear to ear. To put into context just how wild things were for a few weeks last month, the S&P 500 logged its fifth-largest two-day percentage decline on record since 1950 (April 3 and April 4), as well as its 12th-biggest four-day percentage drop dating back 75 years (April 3 – April 8). This short-lived stock market ****** was followed on April 9 by the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite registering their largest single-session point gains since their respective inceptions. On a percentage basis, it was the 19th-, eighth-, and second-best daily gain of all-time for the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq, respectively. This is what historic volatility looks like on Wall Street — and it has a couple of culprits. The initial catalyst that sent the major indexes (briefly) crashing lower was President Donald Trump’s tariff policy reveal following the closing bell on April 2. At the time, Trump unveiled a 10% global tariff, along with higher “reciprocal tariffs” aimed at a few dozen countries that had traditionally run trade deficits with the U.S. It should be noted that Trump paused reciprocal tariffs for 90 days on April 9 for most countries (this was the day the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq skyrocketed), as well as worked out a 90-day reciprocal tariff rate reduction with China earlier this week. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite were all over the map in April. ^DJI data by YCharts. Investors crave predictability, and they’re simply not getting it from this administration. Trump’s propensity to shift tariff rates, implementation dates, and which products/countries are subject to tariffs has kept Wall Street on edge. But tariffs haven’t been the only whipsaw catalyst for stocks. For instance, the stock market entered 2025 at one of its priciest valuation multiples in history, when back-tested more than 150 years. The Shiller price-to-earnings (P/E) Ratio — also known as the cyclically adjusted P/E Ratio, or CAPE Ratio — has averaged a multiple of 17.24 since January 1871. In December 2024, it nearly hit 39 during the current bull market cycle. Historically, S&P 500 Shiller P/E readings above 30 have been a precursor to eventual downside of at least 20%. When volatility picks up, companies with premium valuations tend to pay the price. The problem is that these pricey businesses are often responsible for leading the stock market’s charge higher. Beyond Trump’s tariffs and the historic priciness of the stock market entering 2025, investors have demonstrated concern over U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product shrinking by 0.3%, as well as Treasury bond yields rocketing higher over a short *******. Image source: Getty Images. As noted, wild gyrations in one or more of Wall Street’s major stock indexes can be scary — especially if you’re a new investor who’s never experienced a brief ****** or whipsaw volatility before. But one of the stock market’s odd quirks is that some of its biggest gains often occur within very close proximity to its largest losses. Based on data analyzed by Wells Fargo Investment Institute and Bloomberg of the S&P 500’s daily price changes between Feb. 1, 1994 and Jan. 31, 2024, the overwhelming majority of the index’s 30 best and 30 worst days occurred within close proximity to each other — and often during bear market declines. This is to say that steep declines in Wall Street’s benchmark index have typically yielded eyepopping gains not long thereafter. In April, the S&P 500 plunged by 10.5% from the closing bell on April 2 through the closing bell on April 4. This was its fifth-largest two-day percentage drop since 1950, and it represented only the sixth time in 75 years that the broad-based index lost at least 10% of its value over a two-day *******. With history demonstrating that the market’s darkest days tend to yield its best returns, Carson Group’s Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick plotted the future stock returns (where applicable) for the S&P 500 following these six unique double-digit, two-day percentage declines. As you can see from Detrick’s post on social media platform X, there’s a solid amount of green one month later. On average, the S&P 500 has bounced back by 8.3% following all six double-digit, two-day declines. But this pales in comparison to what the S&P 500 did one year later following the five prior two-day drops of at least 10%. The “worst” return a year later was 18%, with the average gain for the S&P 500 clocking in at 32.6%. To put this figure into context, the average annual return for the S&P 500 since 1950, according to Detrick’s data set, is just 9.2%. This means the index has doubled to sextupled its average annual return following each prior two-day drop of at least 10%. Moreover, Ryan Detrick’s post hints at the disproportionate nature of stock market cycles. Though investors can become preoccupied with the possibility of a stock market correction or bear market, there’s a wide variance between the length of bull and bear markets on Wall Street. Almost two years ago, shortly after the S&P 500 was confirmed to be in a new bull market, the researchers at Bespoke Investment Group published a data set to X that calculated the calendar-day length of every S&P 500 bull and bear market since the start of the Great Depression (September 1929). On one hand, the average S&P 500 bear market has lasted just 286 calendar days, or roughly 9.5 months. In comparison, the typical bull market has endured for 1,011 calendar days, or approximately 3.5 times as long. No matter how dire things may seem for the stock market, history has conclusively shown that being optimistic and taking the long approach is a pathway to wealth creation. Before you buy stock in S&P 500 Index, 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 S&P 500 Index 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 $620,719!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $829,511!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 959% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 170% 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 12, 2025 Wells Fargo is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Sean Williams has positions in Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The S&P 500 Did Something in April That’s Been Witnessed Only 6 Times in 75 Years — and It Points to a Very Specific Directional Move for Stocks was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #April #Witnessed #Times #Years #Points #Specific #Directional #Move #Stocks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google Adding New AI and Accessibility Features for Android and Chrome Browser Google Adding New AI and Accessibility Features for Android and Chrome Browser Google announced the roll out of new artificial intelligence (AI) and accessibility features to Android and the Chrome browser on Thursday. The Mountain View-based tech giant introduced these features on the occasion of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day, observed on the third Thursday in May. The company has added Gemini capabilities to the alt text description feature and is now expanding the Expressive Captions feature, which was only available in the US. Additionally, the Google Chrome browser is also getting two new accessibility features to help those with low vision. Google Introduces New Accessibility Features In a blog post, the tech giant said that it is rolling out new updates to Android and Chrome to create customised experiences for vision and hearing. Additionally, Google is also adding new resources for developers building speech recognition tools. Starting with Android, the tech giant is introducing a new feature and expanding the other to more users. Last year, the company integrated Gemini-powered capabilities into TalkBack, Android’s screen reader, enabling it to generate descriptive captions for images without alternative text (alt text). Now, this feature is being expanded: users will not only hear alt text descriptions of photos but can also ask questions about the images themselves. Additionally, the feature will also let users ask questions about their screen. In December 2024, Google introduced Expressive Captions to Android in the US. Part of Live Captions, this AI-powered feature adds a new format to better convey the context behind the sounds. The company said these subtitles will be able to communicate things like tone, volume, environmental cues, as well as human noises. For instance, the feature will write “noooooo” instead of “no” when the speaker said it emphatically, likely to show disappointment (think Darth Vader saying “no” in Star Wars: Episode III). Or it will write “amaaazing shot” when a commentator is excited about a great play in a game of Cricket or Football. Expressive Captions is now being rolled out in English in Australia, Canada, the ***, and the US on devices running Android 15 and newer. Google Chrome is also getting a couple of new accessibility features. Earlier, the desktop version of the browser did not support screen readers for scanned PDF files. Now, the company is changing that by adding optical character recognition (OCR). Chrome will now be able to recognise scanned PDFs, highlight, copy and search, and even use screen readers to read them. The second feature is dubbed Page Zoom. It can increase the size of the text in web pages in Chrome on Android, without affecting the page’s layout. This feature is aimed at those who have low vision and prefer to read larger fonts without having to move the page left and right over and over. Source link #Google #Adding #Accessibility #Features #Android #Chrome #Browser Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Construction magnate surrenders on negligence charges over Bangkok building collapse in earthquake – AP News Construction magnate surrenders on negligence charges over Bangkok building collapse in earthquake – AP News Construction magnate surrenders on negligence charges over Bangkok building collapse in earthquake AP NewsThai court issues 17 arrest warrants over Bangkok skyscraper collapse BBCConstruction tycoon among 17 wanted in Thailand over deadly tower collapse CNNThailand: 17 wanted over deadly Bangkok tower collapse dw.comArrest warrants issued for Premchai, 16 others over SAO building collapse Bangkok Post Source link #Construction #magnate #surrenders #negligence #charges #Bangkok #building #collapse #earthquake #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Police have raided home in St Andrews as they hunt for a wanted detainee Police have raided home in St Andrews as they hunt for a wanted detainee Police have raided a home in Sydney’s southwest in an attempt to locate a wanted immigration detainee who stabbed an *********** Border Force contractor in the neck; A police operation began about 2.30pm on Friday following information that 28-year-old Tongan national Paea Teu was at a home on Duncansby Crescent, St Andrews. Camera IconPolice raided a Sydney home in the search for wanted detainee Paea Teu who stabbed an *********** Border Force agent on Thursday morning. Facebook Credit: Supplied The address was surrounded by police and the dog squad before it was raided, however Teu could not be located. He is wanted for the alleged stabbing as well as the assault of another Border Force officer inside a van on Thursday morning while they were taking him from a detention centre to the airport to be deported for overstaying his visa. Camera IconA manhunt ins under way after two men were stabbed in western Sydney. 9News Credit: Channel 9Camera IconA police operation commenced about 2.30pm on Friday following information that the 28-year-old Tongan national was at a home on Duncansby Crescent, St Andrews. Picture Thomas Lisson Credit: News Corp Australia Teu is described as being of Pacific Islander/Maori appearance, with a tanned complexion, a large build, about 180cm tall with ****** hair, dark eyes and is unshaven. Police are appealing for assistance from the public to locate the man, who is wanted on an outstanding warrant in relation to assault offences. As inquiries continue, anyone with information into his whereabouts is urged not to approach, but to call Triple-Zero (000) immediately, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Source link #Police #raided #home #Andrews #hunt #wanted #detainee Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This ‘double whammy’ could hike EV prices by $12K+ This ‘double whammy’ could hike EV prices by $12K+ 00:00 Speaker A So it sounds like we could be saying goodbye here to that EV tax credit, Brent. If we did, walk us through what you think the ripple effects, the implications would be for EV sales for EV adoption. 00:20 Brent Yeah, if that does in fact happen, Josh, you know, you’re potentially looking at a double whammy with tariffs and the elimination of the tax credit. You’re talking about, you know, what is conceivably a $12,000 plus swing on the price of an electric vehicle. Um, you know, certainly electric vehicle shoppers are price conscious. We’ve seen some impact on price fluctuations over the last couple years, particularly when there are incentives and pricing actions taken on the sales of electric vehicles. It generates a lot of interest. So if those tax credits go away, you’re going to see probably a slow down in the level of interest for electric vehicles. 01:56 Speaker A And how, Brent, would you see that potentially impacting impacting impacting the the automakers? I’m thinking GM and Ford, and just sort of their broader EV ambitions, Brent? 02:21 Brent Well, at JD Power, we have this saying that we say, you know, one in, one out, and two in the middle. And what that means is out of every four shoppers in the United States new vehicle shoppers, one of those four is very much interested in an electric vehicle and will highly likely consider purchasing one. And then one of those shoppers is highly likely to not purchase one. Then there’s those two in the middle where I think you’ll see some movement with those folks in the middle who are maybe on the fence, you know, thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle. You know, there’s a market among the consumers who are very set on buying an electric vehicle, but it’s really going to affect those people in the middle who may be on the fence. And that’s a very large percentage of the buyer population. 04:15 Speaker A Well, I’m also curious, Brent, to get your take on how you think it could impact, if at all, Tesla. I’m curious whether you think Elon Musk is maybe in some sense better positioned there, Brent. Does he have kind of more financial flexibility to lower prices if he had to? 04:49 Brent Well, I can tell you from a data perspective and what we see at JD Power, I think that Tesla is very susceptible to the elimination of the tax credits, just as other manufacturers are as well. One of the things that we do with our study is we track the influence of those tax credits on purchase decisions. And when you look at the brands that are most affected by those purchase prices and the tax credit, Tesla’s right up there at the top. So I think that they’re very susceptible to the elimination of those. Now, whether or not they have some pricing power to be able to offset some of that, I think that remains to be seen. But from a consumer perspective, you know, Tesla consumers are very much utilizing those tax credits. Source link #double #whammy #hike #prices #12K Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Kristen Stewart Wants to “****** and Burn” in Cannes: “We Barely Finished This Movie” – The Hollywood Reporter Kristen Stewart Wants to “****** and Burn” in Cannes: “We Barely Finished This Movie” – The Hollywood Reporter Kristen Stewart Wants to “****** and Burn” in Cannes: “We Barely Finished This Movie” The Hollywood ReporterKristen Stewart Waited Her Whole Life to Direct ‘The Chronology of Water’ Vanity FairKristen Stewart, Kim Gordon Join Breaking Through the Lens at Cannes VarietyCannes to premiere Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut based on Oregon author’s memoir Yahoo‘The Chronology of Water’ Rolling Stone Australia Source link #Kristen #Stewart #****** #Burn #Cannes #Barely #Finished #Movie #Hollywood #Reporter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jack Robinson the man to beat at Margaret River Pro Jack Robinson the man to beat at Margaret River Pro He was a shock early exit at the Gold Coast Pro, but *********** surfer Jack Robinson is feeling plenty of love and lapping up the hometown comforts ahead of his Margaret River Pro title defence. Robinson was feeling on top of the world last month after claiming the Bells Beach title for the first time. But that euphoria was short lived, with Robinson bombing out in the second round at Burleigh Heads in a result that tumbled him to seventh in the rankings. Robinson is keen to rebound strongly from that result, and will be one of the hot favourites at his local break of Margaret River. The 27-year-old has been an unstoppable force there in recent years, winning in 2022 and 2024, with only a knee injury preventing him from strutting his stuff in 2023. Robinson beat three-time world champion John John Florence in both the 2022 and 2024 finals of the Margaret River Pro. Given Florence has stepped away from the Championship Tour in 2025, Robinson has one less obstacle to overcome in his bid for a third Margaret River crown. “It’s nice to be in my bed and back home,” Robinson said ahead of the opening of the competition window on Saturday. “I am feeling all the love and support when I get back, it’s really great to be here. “This is where it all started for me. John (Florence) is super inspiring. “He kind of set the benchmark for that time, and I’m a bit younger than John, so I always was really inspired, and I just wanted to beat him, so it was cool to do that. “I’m just happy to be here, not really thinking too much about the rankings. Everyone’s really close together, so, that’ll sort itself out at the end of the year.” There will be plenty at stake in Margaret River given it’s the final chance for surfers to make sure they survive the mid-season cut. Australians Liam O’Brien and George Pittar currently sit marginally outside the cut on the men’s side. For the women, fan favourite Sally Fitzgibbons will be hoping to continue her late charge for survival. Fitzgibbons wound back the clock by reaching the Gold Coast Pro final. Although that result kept her in 15th place overall, she has closed the gap significantly on her rivals, and a quarter-final appearance in WA might be enough for her to make the cut. Last year’s Margaret River Pro champion, Gabriela Bryan, tops the women’s leaderboard, equal on points with defending world champion Caitlin Simmers. Australians Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and Tyler Wright occupy the next three places. Source link #Jack #Robinson #man #beat #Margaret #River #Pro Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Exclusive-India weighs plan to slash Pakistan water supply with new Indus river project Exclusive-India weighs plan to slash Pakistan water supply with new Indus river project By Sarita Chaganti Singh, Krishna N. Das, Aftab Ahmed, Charlotte Greenfield and Ariba Shahid NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – India is considering plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action for a deadly April attack on tourists that New Delhi blames on Islamabad, according to four people familiar with the matter. Delhi suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which governs usage of the Indus river system, shortly after 26 civilians in Indian Kashmir were killed in what India called an act of terror. Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but the accord has not been revived despite the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreeing a ceasefire last week following the worst fighting between them in decades. After the April 22 attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered officials to expedite planning and execution of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, three bodies of water in the Indus system that are designated primarily for Pakistan’s use, six people told Reuters. One of the key plans under discussion involves doubling to 120km the length of the Ranbir canal on the Chenab, which runs through India to Pakistan’s agricultural powerhouse of Punjab, two of the people said. The canal was built in the 19th century, long before the treaty was signed. India is permitted to draw a limited amount of water from the Chenab for irrigation, but an expanded canal – which experts said could take years to construct – would allow it to divert 150 cubic meters of water per second, up from about 40 cubic meters currently, the four people said, citing official discussions and documents they had seen. Details of the Indian government’s deliberations on expanding Ranbir have not previously been reported. The discussions started last month and continue even after the ceasefire, one of the people said. The Indian ministries responsible for water and foreign affairs, as well as Modi’s office, did not respond to Reuters’ questions. Indian hydropower giant NHPC, which operates many projects in the Indus system, also did not respond to an email seeking comment. Modi said in a fiery speech this week that “water and blood cannot flow together,” though he didn’t refer to the treaty. Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters Tuesday that India “will keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism”. The water and foreign ministries of Pakistan did not respond to requests for comment. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told lawmakers this week that the government had written to India arguing that suspending the treaty was unlawful and that Islamabad regarded it as remaining in force. Islamabad said after India suspended the treaty in April that it considered “any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan” to be an “act of war.” About 80% of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million. Any efforts by Delhi to build dams, canals or other infrastructure that would withhold or divert significant amount of flow from the Indus system to India “would take years to realize,” said water security expert David Michel of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. But Pakistan has had a preview of the kind of pressure it could face from India: Water at a key receiving point in Pakistan briefly fell by as much as 90% in early May after India started maintenance work on some Indus projects. SUCCESS THREATENED The Indus system runs through some of the world’s most geopolitically tense areas, originating near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet and snaking through India’s north and Pakistan’s east and southeast, before emptying into the Arabian Sea. The treaty is widely seen as one of the world’s most successful water-sharing accords, having survived several major wars and longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan. Islamabad has previously opposed many Indian projects in the Indus system, while Delhi said after the Kashmir attack that it had been trying to renegotiate the treaty since 2023 to account for population increases and its rising need for clean hydroenergy. The treaty restricts India largely to setting up low-impact hydropower projects on the three rivers allocated to Pakistan. Delhi has freedom to utilize the waters of three other rivers – the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi tributaries – as it sees fit. Alongside the plans to expand Ranbir canal, India is also considering projects that would likely reduce the flow of water into Pakistan from rivers allocated to that country, according to two government documents seen by Reuters and interviews with five people familiar with the matter. One document, an undated note prepared by a government company for officials considering irrigation plans, suggests that water from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum “potentially be distributed into rivers” in three northern Indian states. One of the people said the document, the details of which haven’t been previously reported, was created for discussions with power ministry officials after the April 22 attack. Delhi has also created a list of hydropower projects in its Jammu and Kashmir territory that it hopes will expand capacity to 12,000 megawatts, up from the current 3,360 MW. The list, which was created by the power ministry and seen by Reuters, was not dated. A person familiar with the document said it was created before the Kashmir incident but is actively being discussed by government officials. The prospective projects also include dams that can store large volumes of water, in what would be a first for India in the Indus river system, according to two people familiar with the matter. India has identified at least five possible storage projects, four of which are on tributaries of the Chenab and Jhelum, according to the power ministry document. POLITICAL WRANGLING The Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan, though each controls only parts of the area. The region has been ravaged by an anti-India insurgency for decades, which Delhi has accused Islamabad of fuelling and funding. Pakistan denies the charges. International relations expert Happymon Jacob at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University said that India’s new focus on the Indus Waters Treaty reflected an attempt to pressure Pakistan over Kashmir. “With the latest conflict, Delhi may refuse to discuss Kashmir with Pakistan in any format,” he said. “Delhi has not only progressively narrowed the scope of bilateral talks but has also curtailed the agenda, focusing only on specific issues like the IWT.” Pakistan has said that it is preparing legal action in several international forums, including the World Bank, which facilitated the treaty, as well as the Permanent Court of Arbitration or the International Court of Justice in the Hague. “Water should not be weaponised,” Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Reuters on Monday. “We don’t even want to consider any scenario which … does not take into account the reinstatement of this treaty.” Michel, the U.S.-based expert, said that concern over the treaty’s suspension was not limited to Islamabad. “As geopolitical competition across the region deepens, more than a few Indian observers fear that Delhi’s use of water against Islamabad risks licensing Beijing to adopt the same strategy against India,” he said. (Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh, Krishna N. Das and Aftab Ahmed in New Delhi and Charlotte Greenfield and Ariba Shahid in Islamabad; Editing by Katerina Ang) Source link #ExclusiveIndia #weighs #plan #slash #Pakistan #water #supply #Indus #river #project Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘It’s All About Trump’s Tariffs’: Asia Flocks to U.S. Trade Official ‘It’s All About Trump’s Tariffs’: Asia Flocks to U.S. Trade Official The gathering of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers is usually a staid meeting, but this year it offered more intrigue and urgency as countries throughout the region scrambled to engage the United States in talks before a 90-day pause on punishing tariffs expires in July. The meeting, which took place this week on South Korea’s resort island of Jeju, was the first opportunity for the group of mostly Asian economies and the United States to meet collectively since President Trump announced — and then suspended — what he called reciprocal tariffs on dozens of trading partners. The heaviest duties were applied to imports from trading partners in Asia. The main attraction at the meeting was Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative and one of the two main negotiators who reached an agreement for a temporary truce on tariffs with China last weekend. He told reporters that he could not do interviews because his schedule was jam-packed with meetings with representatives from various nations. Cheong Inkyo, South Korea’s minister of trade, said at a news briefing that many participating countries had originally planned to send vice ministers to the meeting but then changed their minds and sent ministers to push for meetings with Mr. Greer. David Boling, a director of Japan and Asia trade at the Eurasia group and a former U.S. trade negotiator, said most countries are eager to meet with American officials at meetings of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, but such side discussions were even more critical this time because of the looming deadline on July 9. “It’s all about Trump’s tariffs,” said Mr. Boling. “All those trade ministers who come in, their number one goal is to get some sort of face time with Jamieson Greer.” Last month, Mr. Trump imposed tariffs on goods from dozens of countries that he claimed took advantage of the United States by running up trade surpluses. A week later, after blowback in the financial markets, he suspended the tariffs for 90 days to allow time for negotiations for permanent trade deals. He kept a 10 percent “base-line” tariff on all imports. In setting the “reciprocal” tariffs, Mr. Trump reserved some of the most punishing duties for longtime allies such as South Korea and Japan and countries in Southeast Asia like Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, which had become manufacturing alternatives to China. While many Asian countries have sent delegations to Washington to negotiate with the White House, Britain, one of the few countries that buys more from the United States than it sells and was not subject to the “reciprocal” tariffs, is the only trading partner that has reached an agreement with the Trump administration so far. At a news conference on Friday, Mr. Cheong said he was able to speak with Mr. Greer about the progress that the countries have made since the start of discussions in early May. He said he explained the “Korean situation” and the challenges of holding trade talks ahead of an election on June 3. Mr. Trump hit South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally, with a 25 percent tariff. Government officials in Seoul are trying to negotiate with the Trump administration at a delicate time in South Korean politics. Campaigning is beginning for what is expected to be a deeply divided and contentious election, necessitated by the removal last month of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached for his short-lived attempt to place the country under martial law. Mr. Greer also met with the vice chairman of HD Hyundai, the heavy-industry arm of South Korea’s sprawling Hyundai conglomerate, to discuss opportunities for cooperation in shipbuilding with the United States. Both Seoul and Washington have said that Mr. Trump wants shipbuilding to be part of a new trade deal between the two countries. South Korean officials have called it a “very important” negotiating card in the discussions with the United States. According to South Korean media reports, Mr. Greer also met with Li Chenggang, China’s trade envoy, who was part of the ******** delegation he and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent negotiated with last weekend. Under the agreement, the United States agreed to reduce tariffs on ******** imports to 30 percent from 145 percent, and China cut its levies on American goods to 10 percent from 125 percent. The reprieve is set to expire in early August. Trade tensions between the United States and China — the world’s two largest economies and, hence, APEC’s two biggest members — loomed large over the meeting. APEC slashed its economic outlook for the region from projections made two months earlier, before Mr. Trump announced the “reciprocal” tariffs, which affect more than half of APEC’s 21 members. The group, which accounts for around half of global trade and about 60 percent of global economic output, cut its forecast for growth to 2.6 percent from its previous projection of 3.3 percent. APEC was careful not to assign blame to any single country for the slowdown, citing “trade frictions” and “policy uncertainty.” Carlos Kuriyama, who leads economic and trade research at APEC, said that while different governments are facilitating trade within Asia, a reduction in trade with the United States will be difficult to overcome. “The U.S. is the largest market and the largest economy, so it represents a very significant percentage of the global economy,” said Mr. Kuriyama. “It will be hard to find a way to replace all these opportunities.” Choe Sang-Hun contributed reporting. Source link #Trumps #Tariffs #Asia #Flocks #U.S #Trade #Official Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Google quietly kills file uploads for rival cloud app on Android, and users are left with zero options Google quietly kills file uploads for rival cloud app on Android, and users are left with zero options Android users now can’t upload all files to Nextcloud, just because Google revoked a permission Nextcloud says Google is punishing smaller competitors while protecting its own apps from restrictions Nextcloud users now get a worse app experience, not because of failure, but gatekeeping The ability to seamlessly upload all types of files from Android to the cloud has become a baseline expectation for modern users, especially those who rely on services like Nextcloud to manage their data. In a move that has sparked a backlash, Google has blocked full file upload capabilities in the Nextcloud Files Android app, citing “security concerns.” This single policy change has significantly affected how users interact with one of the leading cloud storage services available today, raising broader questions about fairness, power, and competition in the digital ecosystem. You may like Nextcloud claims unfair treatment under the guise of security While users can still upload media files such as photos and videos, a core feature for anyone seeking the best cloud storage for photos, Nextcloud has been forced to disable uploads for all other file types on Android. According to Nextcloud, the issue stems from Google’s refusal to grant an essential file permission that the app has used since 2011. This is the “All files access” permission, which allows an app to read and write all files on a device’s shared storage, not just media files. “To make it crystal clear: All of you as users have a worse Nextcloud Files client because Google wanted that. We understand and share your frustration, but there is nothing we can do,” the company said in a press release. Nextcloud argues that this is not merely a technical issue but a strategic one. The company claims it is being boxed out, not for security reasons, but because it poses a competitive threat to Google’s own cloud ecosystem. Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! “Google owning the platform means they can – and are – giving themselves preferential treatment,” the company states, noting that Google’s own apps, as well as those from other Big Tech players, continue to enjoy the same permissions that Nextcloud has now been denied. Google’s recommendation to use alternative frameworks like the MediaStore API or SAF has not solved the issue. Nextcloud explains that these options don’t meet its requirements, and reviewers have misunderstood their functionality. The situation echoes Microsoft’s past tactics in limiting WordPerfect’s access to Windows APIs, a historical parallel that Nextcloud readily invokes. Under the guise of user safety, Nextcloud claims, Google is making it harder to compete, particularly for smaller developers offering privacy-focused cloud backup solutions. While regulators are tasked with addressing such concerns, Nextcloud notes that progress is slow. A collective complaint filed in 2021 alongside 40 other organizations for a similar issue has yet to receive a response. You might also like Source link #Google #quietly #kills #file #uploads #rival #cloud #app #Android #users #left #options Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Court Throws Out “Potentially Libelous” Taylor Swift Extortion Claims From Justin Baldoni’s Team – The Hollywood Reporter Court Throws Out “Potentially Libelous” Taylor Swift Extortion Claims From Justin Baldoni’s Team – The Hollywood Reporter Court Throws Out “Potentially Libelous” Taylor Swift Extortion Claims From Justin Baldoni’s Team The Hollywood ReporterTaylor Swift and Blake Lively’s Friendship Has ‘Halted,’ the Singer ‘Wants No Part in This Drama’ (Exclusive Sources) People.comWhere Blake Lively and Taylor Swift stand after pop star was subpoenaed in messy Justin Baldoni lawsuit: report YahooJustin Baldoni claims Blake Lively threatened Taylor Swift in escalating ‘It Ends With Us’ legal battle Fox NewsBlake Lively’s Lawyers Fight Back Against Taylor Swift Blackmail Accusation: ‘Unequivocally and Demonstrably False’ Variety Source link #Court #Throws #Potentially #Libelous #Taylor #Swift #Extortion #Claims #Justin #Baldonis #Team #Hollywood #Reporter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Graham Arnold thrilled with being given task of guiding Iraq to a FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986 Graham Arnold thrilled with being given task of guiding Iraq to a FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986 Having seen the joy that World Cup qualification for the first time in 32 years brought Australia, former Socceroos boss Graham Arnold wants to help another nation experience similar long-awaited jubilation in his new role as coach of Iraq. After a “good break” of almost seven months following his decision to resign as Socceroos coach, Arnold is thrilled and honoured to be back in football after being charged with the task of guiding Iraq to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. If successful, it will be Iraq’s first appearance at arguably the globe’s greatest sporting event since qualifying for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. “I’ve always been a person in life that has loved a challenge,” Arnold said from Baghdad. “The fact that this challenge was getting Iraq to a World Cup for the first time since 1986 made the decision to take the job much easier because I know what it can do for a nation when you qualify for a World Cup like Australia hadn’t qualified in 32 years before going to the 2006 World Cup.” Arnold was assistant coach of the Socceroos team that went to a World Cup 19 years ago for only the second occasion and the first time since 1974. “I saw the effect when we did qualify of what it does to the country, what it does to the people, the fans and how proud it makes a nation,” he said. “I obviously did my homework on Iraq’s quality of players and I knew what their quality of players were like because I’ve worked in Asia for the past 20 years, and I knew that they had the quality to get to the World Cup. It was the reason I took the job. “There are 48 million people here and they’re obsessed with football. I’m loving it. It’s great to be back at work. It’s an exciting adventure.” Iraq is currently placed third in Group B of the AFC’s third round of World Cup qualifiers. To guarantee themselves qualification to next year’s World Cup, the Lions of Mesopotamia must finish in the top two of their group. The Iraqis have the chance to secure a top-two berth next month when they meet South Korea and Jordan, the nations currently in first and second place respectively in Group B. Should they fall short, Arnold’s men will still have further chances to qualify provided they finish third or fourth in their group. “We’ve got two tough games in front of us, but this is a whole new journey. We’ll go out there in these two games and we’ll go for it,” Arnold said. “We’ll go out there with expectations to win. There are also the playoffs, and whichever way we qualify, we qualify. but the important thing is we go into these two games to win both of them.” Camera IconFormer Socceroos boss Graham Arnold has settled in well in new role as Iraq coach. Richard Dobson Credit: News Corp Australia Arnold was grateful for the support he had been given from Iraq Football Association president Adnan Dirjal and his board. “President Adnan called me and wanted my experience. His support has been incredible. He is a hugely passionate man about Iraq,” Arnold said. Arnold – who took the Socceroos to round-of-16 at the 2022 World Cup – was able to bring to Iraq with him a strong support staff including assistant coaches Rene Meulensteen and Rob Stanton, goalkeeper coach Zeljko Kalac, analyst Adam Barbera and sports science expert Chris Pappas. “President Adnan has given me everything I wanted, plus more. He wants nothing but success and World Cup qualification for Iraqi football,” Arnold said. Source link #Graham #Arnold #thrilled #task #guiding #Iraq #FIFA #World #Cup #time Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pure Arts Reveals Borderlands Collectible Pure Arts Reveals Borderlands Collectible Pure Arts Reveals Borderlands Collectible that fans should l8ve. Source link #Pure #Arts #Reveals #Borderlands #Collectible Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Hillary Clinton Bludgeons Trump With Pure Truth About Qatar Jet Gift Hillary Clinton Bludgeons Trump With Pure Truth About Qatar Jet Gift Hillary Clinton weighed in with common sense Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s intent to accept a complimentary Air Force One replacement from Qatar. “No one gives someone a $400 million dollar jet for free without expecting anything in return,” the former secretary of state wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Be serious.” Since news of the pending deal broke sparking concerns about its ethics, constitutionality and security, Trump has offered myriad justifications for saying yes to the offer. “Why wouldn’t I accept a free gift?” Trump asked Fox News’ Sean Hannity this week aboard the current Air Force One. At Hannity’s suggestion, Trump also implied the freebie would be compensation for the United States’ expensive efforts to try to keep the Middle East and elsewhere secure. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani dismissed accusations that the lavish gift could be seen as buying influence. “I don’t see any basis for this accusation, unless there are some people who are just trying to select who should be a friend of the U.S. and who should not,” he said on Fox News Wednesday. The reaction of Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, echoed that of many Democrats and even some Republicans about the deal. (The aircraft would later be transferred to the Trump presidential library, according to the administration’s plan.) One of the post prominent GOP lawmakers, Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), said, “I don’t think it looks good or smells good.” “It just doesn’t seem right,” Paul told HuffPost. “We make decisions on troops there. I mean, there’s just a lot of foreign policy decisions. And I think people will think that it could possibly sway your decision-making process when you’ve gotten a ride on it every day, and it’s a really nice plane or something.” Hillary Clinton said Donald Trump’s plan to receive the luxury plane definitely comes with strings attached. Getty Related… Source link #Hillary #Clinton #Bludgeons #Trump #Pure #Truth #Qatar #Jet #Gift Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]