********** XKCD **********
return to top
Unstoppable Force and Immovable Object
Match ID: 0 Score: 1000.00 source: xkcd.com
qualifiers: 1000.00 xkcd
Pascal's Law
Match ID: 1 Score: 1000.00 source: xkcd.com
qualifiers: 1000.00 xkcd
Globe Safety
Match ID: 2 Score: 1000.00 source: xkcd.com
qualifiers: 1000.00 xkcd
About 20 Pounds
Match ID: 3 Score: 1000.00 source: xkcd.com
qualifiers: 1000.00 xkcd
Filter efficiency 99.544 (4 matches/878 results)
********** TRAVEL **********
return to top
Hamas frees U.S. hostage Edan Alexander in goodwill gesture to Trump
Mon, 12 May 2025 20:49:42 +0000
Hamas agreed to release Alexander, the last living U.S. hostage in Gaza, after talks with the Trump administration. His parents traveled to Israel from New Jersey.
Match ID: 0 Score: 35.00 source: www.washingtonpost.com age: 0 days
qualifiers: 35.00 travel(|ing)
Autistic boy left on locked school bus for hours
Mon, 12 May 2025 16:42:12 GMT
Bus company Supreme Executive Travel said it had sacked the staff member it held responsible.
Match ID: 1 Score: 35.00 source: www.bbc.com age: 0 days
qualifiers: 35.00 travel(|ing)
10 of the best places to snorkel on the UK coast
Mon, 12 May 2025 06:00:44 GMT
The authors of a new marine guide share their favourite spots to catch a glimpse of submerged species – plus tips on how to snorkel safely
The British coastline is a thriving marine habitat, with a biodiversity that’s driven by high tidal range and strong nutrient-rich currents. When conditions are right, snorkelling in British waters brings a connection with a variety of species and stunning terrain: sea lochs, sheltered bays, shipwrecks, tidal pools, kelp forests, sandy seabeds and rocky reefs. You might see sharks, seals, scorpionfish, octopus and cuttlefish. These are our 10 favourite spots.
Continue reading...With three floors to fill, this 270-year-old restaurant chain’s understated approach feels rather bold
The demise of London’s Chinatown has long been predicted, what with recent rent and rate rises, and diners’ changing tastes. Yet on a spring lunchtime last week, business on Wardour Street was booming, with alfresco noodle-slurping, long queues and endless selfie sessions all in full swing.
Song He Lou, a historic restaurant brand that champions Suzhou cuisine, clearly believes there are big profits to be made in this postcode, and it has put its money where its mouth is by opening a whopping 144-seater right here in the centre of Chinatown. I’m not chucking in that “historic” willy-nilly, either: Song He Lou was founded in Suzhou near Shanghai almost 270 years ago, during the reign of Emperor Qianglong, and makes Rules in nearby Covent Garden, which is a piffling 227, look like a fly-by-night pop-up.
Continue reading...A cargo flight will haul 14 tons of nitrocellulose from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to an Israeli weapons manufacturer.
The post Explosive Materials Bound for Israel Are Flying Out of JFK Airport appeared first on The Intercept.
A refund depends on the departure date and the booking type – no wonder more people are now selling trips on
Even the best-laid holiday plans can go awry. Illness, bereavements, break-ups, money problems, redundancy, pregnancy, jury duty, floods – all of these can throw a getaway into disarray.
But while you may miss out on a break in the sun or relaxing city break, you do not necessarily have to lose all of your money as a result of problems at home that force you to cancel your trip. You can now sell on your holiday in much the same way you sell on a concert ticket, although that is not the only way to get some money back.
Continue reading...A new Which? Travel report on overtourism also cites Mallorca and Paris as destinations suffering from an influx of visitors, but some argue that bad behaviour is as much of a problem as numbers
In Great Yarmouth there are some signs of regeneration: the vast glass palace of the Winter Gardens is being refurbished and the ornate Cafe 1903 next to the historic Hippodrome is busy. But the bustling tourist industry of the Edwardian era is long gone. “When Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show came in 1903, the tent held 5,000,” says local historian Roger Silver. “A couple of years earlier the Bass Brewery brought 10,000 workers on a day trip from Burton upon Trent. It took 16 trains.”
Coincidentally, that is the same number of visitors who poured into the Italian mountain village of Roccaraso (population 1,500) in January, drawn by the presence of Tik Tok influencer Rita de Crescenzo. But the similarities end there. The Yarmouth invasion received no complaints, while the residents of Roccaraso reacted with horror. The mayor, Francesco Di Donato, threatened to call in the army.
Continue reading...TikTok trend is inspiring tourists to seek out cheaper locations such as Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina
It will take more than a TikTok trend to break Britons’ love affair with Mediterranean beaches. But latest figures show travellers are increasingly swapping Málaga for North Macedonia and Benidorm for the Balkans as part of a social media craze for “destination dupes”.
Flights from the UK to Bosnia and Herzegovina soared by 284% in 2024 compared with the previous year, while trips to Montenegro increased by 164%. Getaways to Albania – billed by some as “the new Croatia” – rose by 61%, according to an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
Continue reading...Four senators, including Cory Booker, say they will press for vote against president’s plan to take $400m gift from Qatar
Top Democrats in the US Senate are pushing for a vote on the floor of the chamber censuring Donald Trump’s reported plan to accept a $400m luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar for use as Air Force One and later as a fixture in the Trump’s personal presidential library.
Four Democratic members of the Senate foreign relations committee said on Monday that they would press for a vote later this week. They said that elected officials, including the president, were not allowed to accept large gifts from foreign governments unless authorized to do so by Congress.
Continue reading...“Many of the potential issues we see with the Trump family’s crypto practices are a feature — not a bug — of the crypto industry.”
The post Democrats Woke Up to Trump’s Crypto Grift. Will They Stop Other Scammers? appeared first on The Intercept.
“The Bukele model is built upon Kilmar Abregos — there are thousands of them.”
The post CECOT Is What the Bukele Regime Wants You to See appeared first on The Intercept.
 |
Imagine a world in which you can do transactions and many other things without having to give your personal information. A world in which you don’t need to rely on banks or governments anymore. Sounds amazing, right? That’s exactly what blockchain technology allows us to do.
It’s like your computer’s hard drive. blockchain is a technology that lets you store data in digital blocks, which are connected together like links in a chain.
Blockchain technology was originally invented in 1991 by two mathematicians, Stuart Haber and W. Scot Stornetta. They first proposed the system to ensure that timestamps could not be tampered with.
A few years later, in 1998, software developer Nick Szabo proposed using a similar kind of technology to secure a digital payments system he called “Bit Gold.” However, this innovation was not adopted until Satoshi Nakamoto claimed to have invented the first Blockchain and Bitcoin.
A blockchain is a distributed database shared between the nodes of a computer network. It saves information in digital format. Many people first heard of blockchain technology when they started to look up information about bitcoin.
Blockchain is used in cryptocurrency systems to ensure secure, decentralized records of transactions.
Blockchain allowed people to guarantee the fidelity and security of a record of data without the need for a third party to ensure accuracy.
To understand how a blockchain works, Consider these basic steps:
Let’s get to know more about the blockchain.
Blockchain records digital information and distributes it across the network without changing it. The information is distributed among many users and stored in an immutable, permanent ledger that can't be changed or destroyed. That's why blockchain is also called "Distributed Ledger Technology" or DLT.
Here’s how it works:
And that’s the beauty of it! The process may seem complicated, but it’s done in minutes with modern technology. And because technology is advancing rapidly, I expect things to move even more quickly than ever.
Even though blockchain is integral to cryptocurrency, it has other applications. For example, blockchain can be used for storing reliable data about transactions. Many people confuse blockchain with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum.
Blockchain already being adopted by some big-name companies, such as Walmart, AIG, Siemens, Pfizer, and Unilever. For example, IBM's Food Trust uses blockchain to track food's journey before reaching its final destination.
Although some of you may consider this practice excessive, food suppliers and manufacturers adhere to the policy of tracing their products because bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella have been found in packaged foods. In addition, there have been isolated cases where dangerous allergens such as peanuts have accidentally been introduced into certain products.
Tracing and identifying the sources of an outbreak is a challenging task that can take months or years. Thanks to the Blockchain, however, companies now know exactly where their food has been—so they can trace its location and prevent future outbreaks.
Blockchain technology allows systems to react much faster in the event of a hazard. It also has many other uses in the modern world.
Blockchain technology is safe, even if it’s public. People can access the technology using an internet connection.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had all your data stored at one place and that one secure place got compromised? Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to prevent your data from leaking out even when the security of your storage systems is compromised?
Blockchain technology provides a way of avoiding this situation by using multiple computers at different locations to store information about transactions. If one computer experiences problems with a transaction, it will not affect the other nodes.
Instead, other nodes will use the correct information to cross-reference your incorrect node. This is called “Decentralization,” meaning all the information is stored in multiple places.
Blockchain guarantees your data's authenticity—not just its accuracy, but also its irreversibility. It can also be used to store data that are difficult to register, like legal contracts, state identifications, or a company's product inventory.
Blockchain has many advantages and disadvantages.
I’ll answer the most frequently asked questions about blockchain in this section.
Blockchain is not a cryptocurrency but a technology that makes cryptocurrencies possible. It's a digital ledger that records every transaction seamlessly.
Yes, blockchain can be theoretically hacked, but it is a complicated task to be achieved. A network of users constantly reviews it, which makes hacking the blockchain difficult.
Coinbase Global is currently the biggest blockchain company in the world. The company runs a commendable infrastructure, services, and technology for the digital currency economy.
Blockchain is a decentralized technology. It’s a chain of distributed ledgers connected with nodes. Each node can be any electronic device. Thus, one owns blockhain.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which is powered by Blockchain technology while Blockchain is a distributed ledger of cryptocurrency
Generally a database is a collection of data which can be stored and organized using a database management system. The people who have access to the database can view or edit the information stored there. The client-server network architecture is used to implement databases. whereas a blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, stored in a distributed system. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, timestamp and transaction information. Modification of data is not allowed due to the design of the blockchain. The technology allows decentralized control and eliminates risks of data modification by other parties.
Blockchain has a wide spectrum of applications and, over the next 5-10 years, we will likely see it being integrated into all sorts of industries. From finance to healthcare, blockchain could revolutionize the way we store and share data. Although there is some hesitation to adopt blockchain systems right now, that won't be the case in 2022-2023 (and even less so in 2026). Once people become more comfortable with the technology and understand how it can work for them, owners, CEOs and entrepreneurs alike will be quick to leverage blockchain technology for their own gain. Hope you like this article if you have any question let me know in the comments section
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are the most popular digital assets today, capturing the attention of cryptocurrency investors, whales and people from around the world. People find it amazing that some users spend thousands or millions of dollars on a single NFT-based image of a monkey or other token, but you can simply take a screenshot for free. So here we share some freuently asked question about NFTs.
NFT stands for non-fungible token, which is a cryptographic token on a blockchain with unique identification codes that distinguish it from other tokens. NFTs are unique and not interchangeable, which means no two NFTs are the same. NFTs can be a unique artwork, GIF, Images, videos, Audio album. in-game items, collectibles etc.
A blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that allows for the secure storage of data. By recording any kind of information—such as bank account transactions, the ownership of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), or Decentralized Finance (DeFi) smart contracts—in one place, and distributing it to many different computers, blockchains ensure that data can’t be manipulated without everyone in the system being aware.
The value of an NFT comes from its ability to be traded freely and securely on the blockchain, which is not possible with other current digital ownership solutionsThe NFT points to its location on the blockchain, but doesn’t necessarily contain the digital property. For example, if you replace one bitcoin with another, you will still have the same thing. If you buy a non-fungible item, such as a movie ticket, it is impossible to replace it with any other movie ticket because each ticket is unique to a specific time and place.
One of the unique characteristics of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is that they can be tokenised to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought, sold and traded on the blockchain.
As with crypto-currency, records of who owns what are stored on a ledger that is maintained by thousands of computers around the world. These records can’t be forged because the whole system operates on an open-source network.
NFTs also contain smart contracts—small computer programs that run on the blockchain—that give the artist, for example, a cut of any future sale of the token.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) aren't cryptocurrencies, but they do use blockchain technology. Many NFTs are based on Ethereum, where the blockchain serves as a ledger for all the transactions related to said NFT and the properties it represents.5) How to make an NFT?
Anyone can create an NFT. All you need is a digital wallet, some ethereum tokens and a connection to an NFT marketplace where you’ll be able to upload and sell your creations
When you purchase a stock in NFT, that purchase is recorded on the blockchain—the bitcoin ledger of transactions—and that entry acts as your proof of ownership.
The value of an NFT varies a lot based on the digital asset up for grabs. People use NFTs to trade and sell digital art, so when creating an NFT, you should consider the popularity of your digital artwork along with historical statistics.
In the year 2021, a digital artist called Pak created an artwork called The Merge. It was sold on the Nifty Gateway NFT market for $91.8 million.
Non-fungible tokens can be used in investment opportunities. One can purchase an NFT and resell it at a profit. Certain NFT marketplaces let sellers of NFTs keep a percentage of the profits from sales of the assets they create.
Many people want to buy NFTs because it lets them support the arts and own something cool from their favorite musicians, brands, and celebrities. NFTs also give artists an opportunity to program in continual royalties if someone buys their work. Galleries see this as a way to reach new buyers interested in art.
There are many places to buy digital assets, like opensea and their policies vary. On top shot, for instance, you sign up for a waitlist that can be thousands of people long. When a digital asset goes on sale, you are occasionally chosen to purchase it.
To mint an NFT token, you must pay some amount of gas fee to process the transaction on the Etherum blockchain, but you can mint your NFT on a different blockchain called Polygon to avoid paying gas fees. This option is available on OpenSea and this simply denotes that your NFT will only be able to trade using Polygon's blockchain and not Etherum's blockchain. Mintable allows you to mint NFTs for free without paying any gas fees.
The answer is no. Non-Fungible Tokens are minted on the blockchain using cryptocurrencies such as Etherum, Solana, Polygon, and so on. Once a Non-Fungible Token is minted, the transaction is recorded on the blockchain and the contract or license is awarded to whoever has that Non-Fungible Token in their wallet.
You can sell your work and creations by attaching a license to it on the blockchain, where its ownership can be transferred. This lets you get exposure without losing full ownership of your work. Some of the most successful projects include Cryptopunks, Bored Ape Yatch Club NFTs, SandBox, World of Women and so on. These NFT projects have gained popularity globally and are owned by celebrities and other successful entrepreneurs. Owning one of these NFTs gives you an automatic ticket to exclusive business meetings and life-changing connections.
That’s a wrap. Hope you guys found this article enlightening. I just answer some question with my limited knowledge about NFTs. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below. Also I have a question for you, Is bitcoin an NFTs? let me know in The comment section below
In the rapidly advancing landscape of AI technology and innovation, LimeWire emerges as a unique platform in the realm of generative AI tools. This platform not only stands out from the multitude of existing AI tools but also brings a fresh approach to content generation. LimeWire not only empowers users to create AI content but also provides creators with creative ways to share and monetize their creations.
As we explore LimeWire, our aim is to uncover its features, benefits for creators, and the exciting possibilities it offers for AI content generation. This platform presents an opportunity for users to harness the power of AI in image creation, all while enjoying the advantages of a free and accessible service.
Let's unravel the distinctive features that set LimeWire apart in the dynamic landscape of AI-powered tools, understanding how creators can leverage its capabilities to craft unique and engaging AI-generated images.
This revamped LimeWire invites users to register and unleash their creativity by crafting original AI content, which can then be shared and showcased on the LimeWire Studio. Notably, even acclaimed artists and musicians, such as Deadmau5, Soulja Boy, and Sean Kingston, have embraced this platform to publish their content in the form of NFT music, videos, and images.
Beyond providing a space for content creation and sharing, LimeWire introduces monetization models to empower users to earn revenue from their creations. This includes avenues such as earning ad revenue and participating in the burgeoning market of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). As we delve further, we'll explore these monetization strategies in more detail to provide a comprehensive understanding of LimeWire's innovative approach to content creation and distribution.
LimeWire Studio welcomes content creators into its fold, providing a space to craft personalized AI-focused content for sharing with fans and followers. Within this creative hub, every piece of content generated becomes not just a creation but a unique asset—ownable and tradable. Fans have the opportunity to subscribe to creators' pages, immersing themselves in the creative journey and gaining ownership of digital collectibles that hold tradeable value within the LimeWire community. Notably, creators earn a 2.5% royalty each time their content is traded, adding a rewarding element to the creative process.
The platform's flexibility is evident in its content publication options. Creators can choose to share their work freely with the public or opt for a premium subscription model, granting exclusive access to specialized content for subscribers.
As of the present moment, LimeWire focuses on AI Image Generation, offering a spectrum of creative possibilities to its user base. The platform, however, has ambitious plans on the horizon, aiming to broaden its offerings by introducing AI music and video generation tools in the near future. This strategic expansion promises creators even more avenues for expression and engagement with their audience, positioning LimeWire Studio as a dynamic and evolving platform within the realm of AI-powered content creation.
The LimeWire AI image generation tool presents a versatile platform for both the creation and editing of images. Supporting advanced models such as Stable Diffusion 2.1, Stable Diffusion XL, and DALL-E 2, LimeWire offers a sophisticated toolkit for users to delve into the realm of generative AI art.
Much like other tools in the generative AI landscape, LimeWire provides a range of options catering to various levels of complexity in image creation. Users can initiate the creative process with prompts as simple as a few words or opt for more intricate instructions, tailoring the output to their artistic vision.
What sets LimeWire apart is its seamless integration of different AI models and design styles. Users have the flexibility to effortlessly switch between various AI models, exploring diverse design styles such as cinematic, digital art, pixel art, anime, analog film, and more. Each style imparts a distinctive visual identity to the generated AI art, enabling users to explore a broad spectrum of creative possibilities.
The platform also offers additional features, including samplers, allowing users to fine-tune the quality and detail levels of their creations. Customization options and prompt guidance further enhance the user experience, providing a user-friendly interface for both novice and experienced creators.
Excitingly, LimeWire is actively developing its proprietary AI model, signaling ongoing innovation and enhancements to its image generation capabilities. This upcoming addition holds the promise of further expanding the creative horizons for LimeWire users, making it an evolving and dynamic platform within the landscape of AI-driven art and image creation.
Sign Up Now To Get Free Credits
Upon completing your creative endeavor on LimeWire, the platform allows you the option to publish your content. An intriguing feature follows this step: LimeWire automates the process of minting your creation as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), utilizing either the Polygon or Algorand blockchain. This transformative step imbues your artwork with a unique digital signature, securing its authenticity and ownership in the decentralized realm.
Creators on LimeWire hold the power to decide the accessibility of their NFT creations. By opting for a public release, the content becomes discoverable by anyone, fostering a space for engagement and interaction. Furthermore, this choice opens the avenue for enthusiasts to trade the NFTs, adding a layer of community involvement to the artistic journey.
Alternatively, LimeWire acknowledges the importance of exclusivity. Creators can choose to share their posts exclusively with their premium subscribers. In doing so, the content remains a special offering solely for dedicated fans, creating an intimate and personalized experience within the LimeWire community. This flexibility in sharing options emphasizes LimeWire's commitment to empowering creators with choices in how they connect with their audience and distribute their digital creations.
After creating your content, you can choose to publish the content. It will automatically mint your creation as an NFT on the Polygon or Algorand blockchain. You can also choose whether to make it public or subscriber-only.
If you make it public, anyone can discover your content and even trade the NFTs. If you choose to share the post only with your premium subscribers, it will be exclusive only to your fans.
Additionally, you can earn ad revenue from your content creations as well.
When you publish content on LimeWire, you will receive 70% of all ad revenue from other users who view your images, music, and videos on the platform.
This revenue model will be much more beneficial to designers. You can experiment with the AI image and content generation tools and share your creations while earning a small income on the side.
The revenue you earn from your creations will come in the form of LMWR tokens, LimeWire’s own cryptocurrency.
Your earnings will be paid every month in LMWR, which you can then trade on many popular crypto exchange platforms like Kraken, ByBit, and UniSwap.
You can also use your LMWR tokens to pay for prompts when using LimeWire generative AI tools.
You can sign up to LimeWire to use its AI tools for free. You will receive 10 credits to use and generate up to 20 AI images per day. You will also receive 50% of the ad revenue share. However, you will get more benefits with premium plans.
For $9.99 per month, you will get 1,000 credits per month, up to 2 ,000 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 50% ad revenue share
For $29 per month, you will get 3750 credits per month, up to 7500 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 60% ad revenue share
For $49 per month, you will get 5,000 credits per month, up to 10,000 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 70% ad revenue share
For $99 per month, you will get 11,250 credits per month, up to 2 2,500 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 70% ad revenue share
With all premium plans, you will receive a Pro profile badge, full creation history, faster image generation, and no ads.
Sign Up Now To Get Free Credits
In conclusion, LimeWire emerges as a democratizing force in the creative landscape, providing an inclusive platform where anyone can unleash their artistic potential and effortlessly share their work. With the integration of AI, LimeWire eliminates traditional barriers, empowering designers, musicians, and artists to publish their creations and earn revenue with just a few clicks.
The ongoing commitment of LimeWire to innovation is evident in its plans to enhance generative AI tools with new features and models. The upcoming expansion to include music and video generation tools holds the promise of unlocking even more possibilities for creators. It sparks anticipation about the diverse and innovative ways in which artists will leverage these tools to produce and publish their own unique creations.
For those eager to explore, LimeWire's AI tools are readily accessible for free, providing an opportunity to experiment and delve into the world of generative art. As LimeWire continues to evolve, creators are encouraged to stay tuned for the launch of its forthcoming AI music and video generation tools, promising a future brimming with creative potential and endless artistic exploration
After being threatened with losing their housing, several students who weren’t involved in the protests had their suspensions lifted.
The post Students Studying at Columbia Library Were Suspended for Protest They Took No Part In appeared first on The Intercept.
Reporting on the rise of fake students enrolling in community college courses:
The bots’ goal is to bilk state and federal financial aid money by enrolling in classes, and remaining enrolled in them, long enough for aid disbursements to go out. They often accomplish this by submitting AI-generated work. And because community colleges accept all applicants, they’ve been almost exclusively impacted by the fraud.
The article talks about the rise of this type of fraud, the difficulty of detecting it, and how it upends quite a bit of the class structure and learning community...
A day after being attacked by a pro-Israel mob, protesters were shot by rubber bullets — whose use is restricted by California law.
The post Police Shot Them in the Head With Rubber Bullets. Now UCLA Gaza Protesters Are Suing. appeared first on The Intercept.
Inspired by her stuntwoman daughter, Ginny MacColl decided to get pumped; before she knew it, she was taking on all comers on the reality show American Ninja Warrior
Ginny MacColl was 63 when she accepted her daughter’s challenge to complete a pull-up. It took nine months to nail it. Now, a decade on, MacColl can pump out 17 of them in a row. It’s hard to argue with her when she says: “You can get stronger with age.”
MacColl has since competed three times in the reality TV show American Ninja Warrior. She’s the oldest person to complete an obstacle, and the oldest female ninja athlete, according to Guinness World Records. It was watching her daughter, Jessie Graff, a stuntwoman, compete on the show that made her want to grow stronger herself.
Continue reading...What is the equivalent of a Couch to 5k or parkrun for swimmers? Do I need loads of expensive gear? And should I join a club? Here’s how I learned to love the pool
Mine is a familiar story: I used to hate even the idea of running. But, in 2020, when gyms closed their doors, I downloaded the Couch to 5k app, and ran approximately three times a week for the next four years, culminating in a half marathon in 2024 – and, predictably, an injury.
Physios treating my persistent hip pain didn’t tell me to stop running – but they did suggest I might want to explore other, lower impact options, such as swimming. But where to start? What’s the aquatic version of Couch to 5k or parkrun?
Continue reading...The dramatic results of weight-loss drugs often come with a side order of stigma, as though it’s ‘cheating’ not to stick to willpower, diet and exercise alone. Is that why so many are telling no one – not even their partners?
Every Friday night, Claire, a 50-year-old woman in Berkshire, waits until her husband and son have gone to bed. When she is sure the house is quiet, she tiptoes out to her garage, and over to a tin tucked away in the corner. It is chilly out there, but she doesn’t mind; that’s the point. Inside the tin, away from the prying eyes of her family, is a vial of the GLP-1 medication Mounjaro, which needs to be kept at about 8C. Claire has been taking it without them knowing for several months. “It would have been harder to get away with in summer,” she says.
As weight-loss medications have become more and more popular, lots of people in the public eye have been dramatically changing shape, walking the red carpets or hosting TV shows in bodies half the size they once were. But as the jabs have become cheaper and more readily available, so, too, have ordinary people been disappearing before our eyes. And many are choosing not to disclose just how this weight loss is happening. Like Claire, these “secret jabbers” are keeping it private even from their closest family and friends.
Continue reading...
US president praises ‘very good’ discussions as top US and Chinese officials meet over trade war triggered by Trump’s tariff blitz
Donald Trump has hailed a “total reset” in US-China trade relations after the first day of talks between top American and Chinese officials in Geneva aimed at defusing a trade war sparked by his tariff rollout.
The US president praised the “very good” discussions and deemed them “a total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner”.
Continue reading...As an Asian giant rises and Trump postures, the UK offers commercial credibility while inching toward a pragmatic European reset it won’t name
In the theatre of 21st-century trade diplomacy, symbolism often eclipses substance. Last week’s UK-India and US-UK agreements reveal a curious asymmetry: in both, the larger partner, in terms of GDP, leveraged the relationship for political ends, while the UK supplied what matters – regulatory prestige and high-income consumers. The former deal offers India a chance to climb the “value chain” and access markets it cannot replicate at home. Donald Trump used his pact to stage a spectacle of grievance and control.
Ironically, Britain – the smaller economy – behaves like the grown-up in both rooms. India turns the agreement into genuine gains. The UK’s trade concessions offer a glimpse of Delhi’s broader ambition: to pry open rich-world markets and access critical tech, as India positions itself as the west’s manufacturing alternative to China. By contrast, Mr Trump’s America focuses on image over impact. But Washington has tacitly conceded that the real action – on AI, digital services tax and UK pharma tariffs still in place under the deal – has yet to begin. The pact falls well short of the sweeping agreement Britain once sought with the US, and lacks the depth of the UK-India deal.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Trump administration welcomes 59 white South Africans as claim they faced discrimination has been widely criticized
Qatar has offered to donate a plane to the United States and details are still being worked out, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
“The Qatari Government has graciously offered to donate a plane to the Department of Defense. The legal details of that are still being worked out,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News.
Continue reading...Trump stirs controversy by calling Afrikaners, minority descended from Dutch colonists, victims of a ‘genocide’
The first group of white South Africans granted refugee status by Donald Trump’s administration has arrived in the US, stirring controversy in South Africa as the US president declared the Afrikaners victims of a “genocide”.
The Afrikaners, a minority descended from mainly Dutch colonists, were met at Dulles international airport outside Washington DC by US deputy secretary of state, Christopher Landau, and deputy secretary of homeland security, Troy Edgar, with many given US flags to wave.
Continue reading...Remark comes as Brazil, Colombia and Chile’s leaders fly to Beijing amid international uncertainty generated by Trump
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has heralded his desire to build “indestructible” relations with China, as the leaders of three of Latin America’s biggest economies flew to Beijing against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s trade war and the profound international uncertainty his presidency has generated.
Lula touched down in China’s capital on Sunday for a four-day state visit, accompanied by 11 ministers, top politicians and a delegation of more than 150 business leaders.
Continue reading...The film version of A Pale View of Hills, the Nobel-winner’s tale of loss, exile and a pregnant radioactive bride, is about to premiere at Cannes. The writer explains why this story is so personal to him
Kazuo Ishiguro still remembers where he was when he wrote A Pale View of Hills: hunched over the dining room table in a bedsit in Cardiff. He was in his mid-20s then; he is 70 now. “I had no idea that the book would be published, let alone that I had a career ahead of me as a writer,” he says. “[But] the story remains an important part of me, not only because it was the start of my novel-writing life, but because it helped settle my relationship with Japan.”
First published in 1982, A Pale View of Hills is a charged family story that connects England with Japan and the present with the past. Now along comes a film version to provide a new frame for the mystery, a fresh view of the hills. Scripted and directed by Kei Ishikawa, it is a splendidly elegant and deliberate affair; a trail of carefully laid breadcrumbs that link a mothballed home in early 80s suburbia with wounded, resilient postwar Nagasaki. Middle-aged Etsuko is long settled in the UK and haunted by the fate of her displaced eldest child. Her younger daughter, Niki, is a budding writer, borderline skint and keen to make a name for herself. Niki has a chunky tape-recorder and plenty of time on her hands. She says, “Mum, will you tell me about your lives before, in Japan?”
Continue reading...Markets rally after Washington and Beijing agree to drastically cut reciprocal tariffs as US treasury secretary says ‘neither side wants a decoupling’
Donald Trump hailed a “total reset” in relations between China and the US after the countries agreed a 90-day pause to the deepening trade war that has threatened to upend the global economy, with tariffs to be lowered by 115 percentage points.
“They’ve agreed to open up China,” the US president claimed at a press conference at the White House on Monday morning, having spent months escalating tensions with Beijing by ratcheting up tariffs on the country’s exports.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Decision on whether to work with turbine maker being overseen by ministers after British Steel rescue
Ministers are weighing up proposals for a Chinese company to supply wind turbines for a major offshore windfarm in the North Sea.
The government is in discussions with Green Volt North Sea over whether Mingyang, China’s biggest offshore wind company, should supply the wind turbines. Mingyang has emerged as the preferred manufacturer, but the company has sought advice from ministers on whether to proceed.
Continue reading...Who’d have guessed there’s so much you can do with bergamot-flavoured tea? Apparently you can even drink it
As you may already know, the title of Britain’s Best Loaf 2025 was awarded to a brioche that was flavoured with lemon curd and earl grey tea. The inventor – Miyo Aoetsu, who runs a baking business from her home in Derbyshire – says the loaf was inspired by a recent Japanese trend for foods that combine the flavours of lemon and earl grey. But outside Japan, how many recipes can there be that use earl grey as an ingredient? Here are 17, just for starters.
The first, and most basic, is for earl grey itself. The connection between the tea and the 2nd Earl Grey, in whose honour it is sometimes said to have been concocted, is sketchy and possibly nonexistent. There is no official formula or authoritative version; it’s just a name given to black tea flavoured with bergamot, a type of bitter orange grown extensively in Calabria. Making your own is as simple as leaving some dried bergamot peel in a jar of black tea for a bit. The result will probably be a bit more subtle than store-bought – which usually contains oil of bergamot – but you may even prefer it.
Continue reading...With three floors to fill, this 270-year-old restaurant chain’s understated approach feels rather bold
The demise of London’s Chinatown has long been predicted, what with recent rent and rate rises, and diners’ changing tastes. Yet on a spring lunchtime last week, business on Wardour Street was booming, with alfresco noodle-slurping, long queues and endless selfie sessions all in full swing.
Song He Lou, a historic restaurant brand that champions Suzhou cuisine, clearly believes there are big profits to be made in this postcode, and it has put its money where its mouth is by opening a whopping 144-seater right here in the centre of Chinatown. I’m not chucking in that “historic” willy-nilly, either: Song He Lou was founded in Suzhou near Shanghai almost 270 years ago, during the reign of Emperor Qianglong, and makes Rules in nearby Covent Garden, which is a piffling 227, look like a fly-by-night pop-up.
Continue reading...A cargo flight will haul 14 tons of nitrocellulose from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to an Israeli weapons manufacturer.
The post Explosive Materials Bound for Israel Are Flying Out of JFK Airport appeared first on The Intercept.
Indian influence at the top table of world cricket could be set to increase with Sanjog Gupta, the head of live sport at broadcast giants Jiostar, having emerged as the frontrunner to become the new chief executive of the International Cricket Council.
The ICC is looking to fill the role with Geoff Allardice, the incumbent, serving a notice period that runs until the body’s AGM in July. Three sources have told the Guardian that Gupta is favourite to succeed the Australian, moving across from the broadcast company that holds the ICC’s $3bn (£2.2bn) rights deal for global events.
Continue reading...Indian PM says he is ‘monitoring every step of Pakistan’ as ceasefire holds
Narendra Modi has said India has only “paused” its military action against Pakistan and would “retaliate on its own terms” to any attacks, after a ceasefire brought escalating hostilities between the two countries to a standstill at the weekend.
In his first address since attacks began between India and Pakistan – culminating in both sides launching missiles at each other’s key military bases and airfields on Saturday – the Indian prime minister said he was “monitoring every step of Pakistan”.
Continue reading...As nuclear war became a real possibility, Trump tasked Marco Rubio and JD Vance to contact the feuding countries
Indian surface-to-air missiles were already soaring towards Pakistan’s most significant military bases when the first call came from the US.
It was 4am in Islamabad and Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state and recently appointed US national security adviser, was on the line to the man everyone knew was calling the shots in Pakistan: army chief Gen Asim Munir.
Continue reading...Celebrations held in both countries while Kashmir residents beg for long-term solutions over disputed territory
India and Pakistan have both claimed victory after a ceasefire was declared over the weekend, which brought the two nuclear-nations back from the brink of war.
After days of escalating clashes that culminated in both sides launching missile and drone strikes on each other’s major military bases – the closest they had come to full-scale war in decades – the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was declared by Donald Trump on Saturday evening.
Continue reading...Prof Shafiqul Islam and Wajid Mushtaq Teli respond to an editorial on the ongoing military clashes between the two countries
Your editorial (The Guardian view on India and Pakistan: a newly dangerous moment in an old dispute, 7 May) underscores the alarming escalation between India and Pakistan, but the suspension of the Indus waters treaty and the missile strikes are more than just a return to familiar hostility. They reflect a deeper pattern that I call the urgency-actionability trap: the impulse to respond to provocation, even when those responses, whether symbolic or military, offer little durable benefit and risk spiralling escalation.
India’s suspension of the Indus treaty is technically limited – it cannot “turn off the tap” overnight – but it sets a dangerous precedent in normalising water as a weapon. Pakistan’s retaliatory posture, similarly, satisfies domestic politics while weakening regional water security. Neither action advances stability; both reinforce distrust.
Continue reading...Truce agreement was reached after diplomacy and pressure from US but within hours there was cross-border shelling
A fragile ceasefire was holding between India and Pakistan on Sunday, after hours of overnight fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as US president Donald Trump said he would work to provide a solution regarding Kashmir.
The arch-rivals were involved in intense firing for four days, the worst in nearly three decades, with missiles and drones being fired at each other’s military installations and dozens of people killed.
Continue reading...This liveblog is now closed. Read our full report on the ceasefire agreement here
Who is Asim Munir, the army chief leading Pakistan’s military amid the crisis with India?
The general once fell foul of Imran Khan, but since taking the top spot has been quietly amassing power over the government and supreme court, as our profile here says.
Yet even now that the country is out of the clutches of martial law, it is still widely understood that the most powerful man in Pakistan is not the head of the government but instead the chief of the army.
Since Gen Munir took over as Pakistan’s army chief more than two years ago, he has been accused of quietly consolidating greater power without even having to topple the country’s civilian rulers. As he kept himself largely out of the limelight, he consolidated an iron grip over the army’s ranks and bent government policy and even the supreme court to his will.
Continue reading...The rules-based world order is in retreat and violence is on the rise, forcing countries to rethink their relationships
In a week in which former allies in a redividing globe separately commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, the sense of a runaway descent towards a third world war draws ever closer.
The implosion of Pax Americana, the interconnectedness of conflicts, the new willingness to resort to unbridled state-sponsored violence and the irrelevance of the institutions of the rules-based order have all been on brutal display this week. From Kashmir to Khan Younis, Hodeidah, Port Sudan and Kursk, the only sound is of explosions, and the only lesson is that the old rules no longer apply.
Continue reading...The video is really amazing.
As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.
The US president’s proposed film industry tariffs have led to confusion and unrest within Hollywood
Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, Goodfellas, Sunset Boulevard and the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Bloodsport – Donald Trump’s favourite movies are thoroughly American and 20th century. Foreign films? Not his thing.
At campaign rally in 2020 he reacted to the South Korean movie Parasite winning the best picture Oscar by demanding: “What the hell was that all about? We got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of that they give them best movie of the year? Was it good? I don’t know. Let’s get Gone With the Wind. Can we get Gone With the Wind back please?”
Continue reading...A Chinese company has developed an AI-piloted submersible that can reach speeds “similar to a destroyer or a US Navy torpedo,” dive “up to 60 metres underwater,” and “remain static for more than a month, like the stealth capabilities of a nuclear submarine.” In case you’re worried about the military applications of this, you can relax because the company says that the submersible is “designated for civilian use” and can “launch research rockets.”
“Research rockets.” Sure.
...Former president of nation re-elected as mayor of city of Davao despite his enforced absence
Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been re-elected as mayor of the city of Davao, the family’s stronghold, despite being imprisoned thousands of miles away in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity.
With more than 60% of returns in, Duterte, 80, had an insurmountable lead of 405,000 votes – far ahead of his nearest competitor who trailed on 49,000, according to unofficial results from the election commission published by local media.
Continue reading...Senate race will be key to future of Sara Duterte as she faces impeachment trial, while her father could become mayor despite being detained in The Hague
Millions of Filipinos began voting on Monday in a midterm election widely seen as a referendum on the explosive feud between President Ferdinand Marcos and impeached vice-president Sara Duterte.
Workers in the capital, Manila, were busily setting up polling stations on Sunday for a race that will decide more than 18,000 posts, from seats in the House of Representatives to hotly contested municipal offices.
Continue reading...Any Trump administration efforts to send non-Libyans to the north African country would violate a prior court order
Immigrants in Texas who were told they would be deported to Libya sat on a military airfield tarmac for hours on Wednesday, unsure of what would happen next, an attorney for one of the men has said.
The attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, told the news agency Reuters that his client, a Vietnamese construction worker from Los Angeles, was among the immigrants woken in the early morning hours and bussed from an immigration detention center in Pearsall, Texas, to an airfield where a military aircraft awaited them.
Continue reading...Ban of former PM Sheikh Hasina’s party under Anti-Terrorism Act will remain until trial over student deaths completes
The interim government in Bangladesh has banned all activities of the former ruling Awami League party headed by former influential prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted last year in a mass uprising.
Asif Nazrul, the country’s law affairs adviser, said on Saturday the interim cabinet headed by the Nobel peace prize laureate Muhammad Yunus decided to ban the party’s activities online and elsewhere under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban would stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders over the deaths of hundreds of students and other protesters during an anti-government uprising in July and August last year.
Continue reading...We would like to hear the story behind a cooking utensil passed down through generations of your family
As Bee Wilson writes in her Guardian long read, people can invest objects in their kitchens with strong meanings or emotions:
Many people told me that they could still feel the presence of a lost parent or partner in their china cupboard. I met someone who said that the one object belonging to his mother that he and his siblings all wanted when they cleared her house was a glass salad-dressing maker. His mother never rinsed out the garlic at the bottom, just adding fresh garlic before pouring in the oil and vinegar, meaning that this vessel carried the garlicky essence of decades of shared meals.
Continue reading...Private prison firms CoreCivic and GEO Group are thrilled about ICE’s spending spree, but they’re already facing local opposition.
The post Private Prison CEO on ICE Contracts: We’re a Better Deal Than El Salvador’s CECOT appeared first on The Intercept.
“The Bukele model is built upon Kilmar Abregos — there are thousands of them.”
The post CECOT Is What the Bukele Regime Wants You to See appeared first on The Intercept.
The court let a military trans ban go into effect — potentially setting a precedent to accept the anti-trans myth behind Trump’s executive order.
The post The Supreme Court Just Imperiled the Rights — and Lives — of All Trans People appeared first on The Intercept.
Bob Marshall-Andrews, Francis Fitzgibbon and another reader respond to an article by Simon Jenkins on ditching trial by jury
Simon Jenkins’ indictment of jury trial (Here’s a radical way to save England’s collapsing justice system: get rid of juries, 5 May) deserves a damning verdict on a number of counts. He points to the excessive delays afflicting English criminal courts, which he attributes to the 1% of cases that are decided by juries. He provides little evidence for this, while making no mention of the true causes – Covid and chronic underfunding.
There is no evidence that jury trial causes delay in contested cases as opposed to judges sitting alone. Judges would have to provide reasoned arguments for each factual decision (subject to review) and, for this reason, the vast majority of British criminal judges strongly favour jury trial.
Continue reading...Internal Google documents show that the tech giant feared it wouldn’t be able to monitor how Israel might use its technology to harm Palestinians.
The post Google Worried It Couldn’t Control How Israel Uses Project Nimbus, Files Reveal appeared first on The Intercept.
In letter, also signed by ambassador Sylvester Stallone, studios and unions calls for support on three tax provisions
Donald Trump’s Hollywood ambassadors, including actor Jon Voight, joined labor unions and major studios in asking the US president to expand and extend tax incentives for film and television productions.
In a letter addressed to Trump on Sunday, the studios and unions did not mention his threat to introduce 100% tariffs on films made abroad, but instead thanked him for supporting the industry through their “shared goal” of domestic production.
Continue reading...Four senators, including Cory Booker, say they will press for vote against president’s plan to take $400m gift from Qatar
Top Democrats in the US Senate are pushing for a vote on the floor of the chamber censuring Donald Trump’s reported plan to accept a $400m luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar for use as Air Force One and later as a fixture in the Trump’s personal presidential library.
Four Democratic members of the Senate foreign relations committee said on Monday that they would press for a vote later this week. They said that elected officials, including the president, were not allowed to accept large gifts from foreign governments unless authorized to do so by Congress.
Continue reading...“Many of the potential issues we see with the Trump family’s crypto practices are a feature — not a bug — of the crypto industry.”
The post Democrats Woke Up to Trump’s Crypto Grift. Will They Stop Other Scammers? appeared first on The Intercept.
Israeli extremist officials deny the existence of famine in Gaza as they push for harsher measures to block food.
The post Famine Haunts the People of Gaza. Israel Is Trying to Convince You It’s Fake. appeared first on The Intercept.
Trump’s proposal cuts SpaceX competitors out of the NASA budget and could add billions to the company’s defense contracts.
The post Elon Musk Set to Win Big With Trump’s Trillion-Dollar Pentagon Budget appeared first on The Intercept.
A day after being attacked by a pro-Israel mob, protesters were shot by rubber bullets — whose use is restricted by California law.
The post Police Shot Them in the Head With Rubber Bullets. Now UCLA Gaza Protesters Are Suing. appeared first on The Intercept.
“We are concerned at the appearance of targeting publicly pro-union worker leaders,” said a union official about a raid in western New York.
The post “They Actually Had a List”: ICE Arrests Workers Involved in Landmark Labor Rights Case appeared first on The Intercept.
Meta is suing NSO Group, basically claiming that the latter hacks WhatsApp and not just WhatsApp users. We have a procedural ruling:
Under the order, NSO Group is prohibited from presenting evidence about its customers’ identities, implying the targeted WhatsApp users are suspected or actual criminals, or alleging that WhatsApp had insufficient security protections.
[…]
In making her ruling, Northern District of California Judge Phyllis Hamilton said NSO Group undercut its arguments to use evidence about its customers with contradictory statements...
“The Bukele model is built upon Kilmar Abregos — there are thousands of them.”
The post CECOT Is What the Bukele Regime Wants You to See appeared first on The Intercept.
It would give the Trump administration the power to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit it deems a “terrorist-supporting organization.”
The post Republicans Sneak Nonprofit Killer Bill Into the Tail End of Trump’s 389-Page Tax Plan appeared first on The Intercept.
“Many of the potential issues we see with the Trump family’s crypto practices are a feature — not a bug — of the crypto industry.”
The post Democrats Woke Up to Trump’s Crypto Grift. Will They Stop Other Scammers? appeared first on The Intercept.
Senate race will be key to future of Sara Duterte as she faces impeachment trial, while her father could become mayor despite being detained in The Hague
Millions of Filipinos began voting on Monday in a midterm election widely seen as a referendum on the explosive feud between President Ferdinand Marcos and impeached vice-president Sara Duterte.
Workers in the capital, Manila, were busily setting up polling stations on Sunday for a race that will decide more than 18,000 posts, from seats in the House of Representatives to hotly contested municipal offices.
Continue reading...David Plouffe says Biden ‘totally fucked us’ and calls Harris’s 107-day sprint against Trump a ‘fucking nightmare’
Joe Biden “totally fucked us” by leaving it too late to drop out of the 2024 US presidential election, a former top campaign aide to Kamala Harris has told the authors of a new book.
David Plouffe, who was manager of Barack Obama’s winning 2008 campaign and a senior adviser in his White House, was drafted in to help Harris’s bid for president after the declining Biden withdrew from the race last summer.
Continue reading...There’s more to this policy than merely chasing Nigel Farage. But it risks driving voters towards the Lib Dems and Greens
Immigration is a tinderbox. No one listening to voters on doorsteps in recent local elections could deny this. Nothing Labour does will satisfy those few who rate immigration as their top concern, but its new immigration plan is a serious endeavour to stop cheap labour undercutting pay. How will it go down? If Labour HQ celebrates a splash of rightwing front pages whooping up its toughest measures, those same headlines may propel more Labour people into the arms of the Liberal Democrats and Greens. But there is more depth to Labour’s policy than merely chasing Nigel Farage.
An old theory – that immigration squeezes out British people by taking available jobs – is being turned into a real-life social experiment. We shall now see if what sounds plausible works in practice. Is cheap labour really the cause of Britain’s high rate of economic inactivity and businesses’ rotten record in training new employees?
Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...The prime minister says he wants to rebuild communities and opportunities, but risks playing into opponents’ hands
Every government needs an immigration policy and the one led by Sir Keir Starmer is no exception. Laws are required to establish the terms under which migration to the UK is allowed, and to deal with the complexities surrounding irregular arrivals. But the decision to publish an immigration white paper a week after Reform UK made significant gains in local elections, when it is riding high in national polls, is hard to defend. Rather than defusing public concerns, the prime minister risks playing into the hard right’s hands – and undermining the community cohesion he says he wants to protect.
Some of the proposed measures are reasonable. Others are not. Visa rules are complicated and ministers have identified real concerns about the way the system works. But the timing and language, particularly the prime minister’s references to an “island of strangers” and forces “pulling our country apart”, were awful choices. The danger is that such rhetoric ends up reinforcing divisions and xenophobia.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...We listened to voters’ concerns and made a point of talking about the positive contribution of immigrants to our locality, writes John Hanley. Plus a letter from Howard Spencer
The local election results in the north-east of England have been understandably portrayed as disastrous for the Labour party, which lost Durham county council (The Guardian view on Labour’s drift and Tory collapse: Reform fills a vacuum they created, 6 May). Labour also lost seats in Northumberland, but there was one area of success. In the Tyne Valley, the Hexham constituency Labour party held one seat, gained another two (one from a Conservative, the other from a Socialist Independent) and came within a handful of votes of unseating two other Conservatives.
Reform UK was much less successful than elsewhere, even in “red wall” towns such as Prudhoe and Haltwhistle. The success was based on credible local candidates who exposed the poor record of the Conservative-run Northumberland county council for the past eight years.
Continue reading...Trump’s proposal cuts SpaceX competitors out of the NASA budget and could add billions to the company’s defense contracts.
The post Elon Musk Set to Win Big With Trump’s Trillion-Dollar Pentagon Budget appeared first on The Intercept.
Four senators, including Cory Booker, say they will press for vote against president’s plan to take $400m gift from Qatar
Top Democrats in the US Senate are pushing for a vote on the floor of the chamber censuring Donald Trump’s reported plan to accept a $400m luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar for use as Air Force One and later as a fixture in the Trump’s personal presidential library.
Four Democratic members of the Senate foreign relations committee said on Monday that they would press for a vote later this week. They said that elected officials, including the president, were not allowed to accept large gifts from foreign governments unless authorized to do so by Congress.
Continue reading...Socialists set for clear victory with 30% of votes counted in poll seen as pivotal to country’s hopes of joining EU
Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, is poised for victory in general elections after preliminary results showed voters returning him to power for an unprecedented fourth term.
With 30% of the ballots counted, Rama’s party was leading the leftwing Socialists to a resounding win over Sali Berisha’s centre-right Democratic party in a poll viewed as pivotal for the Balkan country’s attempt to join the EU. The incumbent party had garnered 53% of the vote compared with 34% for its main opposition rival.
Continue reading...A week after Reform cleans up at the local elections, the prime minister decides it’s time to ‘take back control’
You know how it is. You get on the 87 at the Vauxhall depot and you suddenly realise you know no one on the bus. Time was when everyone in the queue would have been best mates. Off for pie, mash and jellied eels together before a knees-up down the Old Bull and Bush. Worse still, some people may not even be talking English. We didn’t beat the Hun in two world wars to hear German spoken on public transport.
Then there are all those Polish supermarkets. Who asked them to come over here, pay their taxes and business rates and set up on the high street? They don’t even have the grace to relabel their produce in English. And why can’t they sell something quintessentially British? Like Lurpak. What do you mean, that’s Danish? Butter was invented by the Brits.
Continue reading...First it was the Conservatives and now Reform. The only thing the government has to offer is that it’s the least worst option
It is less than a year into this Labour government and we are already in another cycle of scare tactics. During the general election, any concerns expressed over Labour’s policies (or lack thereof) were quickly shut down by the pressing need to get a disastrous Tory government out.
Now in power, concerns have been once again pushed aside. There is no time for the luxury of scrutiny of accountability, because now Reform is rising and the party must be stopped. Once again, the voter is asked to park their issues with Labour and save the nation from a worse alternative. “A vote for anyone but Labour risks more chaos under a Farage-Tory coalition,” posted the Labour party on its X account in early May. “Vote Labour. Stop Reform.”
Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist
One year of Labour, with Pippa Crerar, Rafael Behr and more On 9 July, join Pippa Crerar, Rafael Behr, Frances O’Grady and Salma Shah as they look back at one year of the Labour government and plans for the next three years
Continue reading...Three times in the last week, Trump expressed ignorance when responding to questions about his signature policies.
The post “I Don’t Know.” Trump’s Go-To Response to All Sorts of Questions appeared first on The Intercept.
From militarized crackdowns to legal impunity, Trump’s policing agenda is designed to crush dissent and critics.
The post A Trumped Up Police State Is Coming appeared first on The Intercept.
The swearing-in ceremony is conducted by governor general Sam Mostyn in Canberra. Follow today’s news live
Ryan speaks after winning re-election in Kooyong
The freshly re-elected teal independent Monique Ryan has just been speaking on RN. She said she won because of her on-the-ground approach in her electorate:
Over the last three years, since I was elected to represent Kooyong I’ve worked very hard to fulfil the contract that I made with my community, which is that I will listen to them and try to represent them as effectively as I can on the things that matter to them.
I have a great team who’ve responded to issues within the electorate really quickly and effectively, and I heard many times when people how grateful they were for help with the sorts of things that they reach out to the team for.
This is a historic moment in the pursuit of truth, justice and accountability for the victims of the downing of flight MH17, and their families and loved ones.
The ICAO council found that Russia breached the prohibition under international law on the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight and is responsible for the loss of 298 innocent lives, including 38 who called Australia home.
Continue reading...More buyers enter the market as auction clearance rates rose to 70% in the week after the election, figures show
Australia’s housing market has surged in the immediate aftermath of Labor’s emphatic election victory, preliminary data shows, while analysts say an anticipated string of rate cuts may see the trend continue.
Auction clearance rates rose to 70% in the week after the election, according to preliminary Cotality data, from 60% in the middle of last month. An auction clearance rate of 70% or above typically indicates sellers are in control of the market.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email
Continue reading...Two contenders spent weekend gathering numbers before a 10am leadership ballot, while Tim Wilson ruled himself out of the race
Sussan Ley may be the first woman to lead the federal Liberal party before a showdown with Angus Taylor that shapes as a defining moment for the beleaguered party.
The Liberal party room will meet at 10am on Tuesday to choose a new leader and deputy leader after a disastrous federal election that cost Peter Dutton his seat of Dickson.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email
Continue reading...More than 40% of voters say Labor’s large majority should encourage Anthony Albanese to get more ambitious with policies in key areas
Anthony Albanese’s personal approval rating has spiked off the back of his election win, as an overwhelming majority of Australians call on Labor to rapidly initiate health, housing and energy reform.
More than 40% of voters say Labor’s large parliamentary majority should encourage Albanese to set out an even more ambitious schedule of reform, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. The prime minister’s popularity has risen to its highest level for a year, the poll showed.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email
Continue reading...Private prison firms CoreCivic and GEO Group are thrilled about ICE’s spending spree, but they’re already facing local opposition.
The post Private Prison CEO on ICE Contracts: We’re a Better Deal Than El Salvador’s CECOT appeared first on The Intercept.
Indian influence at the top table of world cricket could be set to increase with Sanjog Gupta, the head of live sport at broadcast giants Jiostar, having emerged as the frontrunner to become the new chief executive of the International Cricket Council.
The ICC is looking to fill the role with Geoff Allardice, the incumbent, serving a notice period that runs until the body’s AGM in July. Three sources have told the Guardian that Gupta is favourite to succeed the Australian, moving across from the broadcast company that holds the ICC’s $3bn (£2.2bn) rights deal for global events.
Continue reading...Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the government’s plans to drastically reduce net migration. Will it work? And how will it land with the public and the Labour party?
Continue reading...In letter, also signed by ambassador Sylvester Stallone, studios and unions calls for support on three tax provisions
Donald Trump’s Hollywood ambassadors, including actor Jon Voight, joined labor unions and major studios in asking the US president to expand and extend tax incentives for film and television productions.
In a letter addressed to Trump on Sunday, the studios and unions did not mention his threat to introduce 100% tariffs on films made abroad, but instead thanked him for supporting the industry through their “shared goal” of domestic production.
Continue reading...The court let a military trans ban go into effect — potentially setting a precedent to accept the anti-trans myth behind Trump’s executive order.
The post The Supreme Court Just Imperiled the Rights — and Lives — of All Trans People appeared first on The Intercept.
Trump administration welcomes 59 white South Africans as claim they faced discrimination has been widely criticized
Qatar has offered to donate a plane to the United States and details are still being worked out, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
“The Qatari Government has graciously offered to donate a plane to the Department of Defense. The legal details of that are still being worked out,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News.
Continue reading...There are so many conditions attached to the ‘pledge’ to invest in the UK that its claims should be taken with a large helping of salt
Terrific news, eh? UK pension funds have agreed to invest more of their assets in the UK, specifically in private markets, and specifically from their defined contribution (DC) schemes. Most of the big names are on the list of signatories to the expanded Mansion House accord: Aviva, Legal & General, Phoenix and more. And they’ve agreed to do their patriotic duty on a voluntary basis. “I welcome this bold step by some of our biggest pension funds,” said the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
There is another way to view the fanfare. There are so many conditions attached to the “pledge” to invest in the UK that this looks more like an exercise in virtue-signalling. It is not helped by the adventurous arithmetic behind the government’s claim that the accord will “unlock up to £50bn” for the economy by 2030.
Continue reading...Development minister will tell MPs that Britain will share ‘incredible expertise’ instead of funding
The days of viewing the UK as “a global charity” are over, the new development minister, Jenny Chapman, will tell MPs, in remarks that are likely to prove a controversial defence of the large-scale aid cuts she is about to oversee.
Lady Chapman replaced Anneliese Dodds in February after Dodds refused to back Keir Starmer’s decision to cut the UK aid budget from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% in 2027.
Continue reading...Investigation of two further fires comes after blaze at home owned by prime minister early on Monday
Counter-terrorism police are investigating three separate fires after a blaze broke out at a home owned by Keir Starmer in the early hours of Monday morning.
London fire brigade attended the property in Kentish Town after the fire was reported shortly after 1.30am. The door was damaged but nobody was hurt.
Continue reading...Trump stirs controversy by calling Afrikaners, minority descended from Dutch colonists, victims of a ‘genocide’
The first group of white South Africans granted refugee status by Donald Trump’s administration has arrived in the US, stirring controversy in South Africa as the US president declared the Afrikaners victims of a “genocide”.
The Afrikaners, a minority descended from mainly Dutch colonists, were met at Dulles international airport outside Washington DC by US deputy secretary of state, Christopher Landau, and deputy secretary of homeland security, Troy Edgar, with many given US flags to wave.
Continue reading...Peers back amendment to data bill requiring AI companies to reveal which copyrighted material they have used
The government has suffered another setback in the House of Lords over its plans to let artificial intelligence firms use copyright-protected work without permission.
An amendment to the data bill requiring AI companies to reveal which copyrighted material is used in their models was backed by peers, despite government opposition.
Continue reading...Remark comes as Brazil, Colombia and Chile’s leaders fly to Beijing amid international uncertainty generated by Trump
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has heralded his desire to build “indestructible” relations with China, as the leaders of three of Latin America’s biggest economies flew to Beijing against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s trade war and the profound international uncertainty his presidency has generated.
Lula touched down in China’s capital on Sunday for a four-day state visit, accompanied by 11 ministers, top politicians and a delegation of more than 150 business leaders.
Continue reading...Prime minister’s ‘island of strangers’ speech was likened to rhetoric of Enoch Powell
Keir Starmer has defended his plans to curb net migration after an angry backlash from MPs, businesses and industry to a speech in which he said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” without tough new policies.
The rhetoric was likened by some critics to the language of Enoch Powell, and the prime minister was accused of pandering to the populist right by insisting he intended to “take back control of our borders” and end a “squalid chapter” of rising inward migration.
Continue reading...UK Foreign Office criticised by campaigners as Ahmed al-Doush given sentence for charges thought to relate to deleted tweet
A British national arrested in Saudi Arabia on charges that appear to relate to a deleted tweet has been jailed for 10 years, according to British lawyers and campaign groups representing the family.
Ahmed al-Doush was arrested in August and, while it is understood that UK Foreign Office officials were allowed into the Saudi court for his hearing, the British government has been criticised for a lack of action since his arrest.
Continue reading...The US president’s proposed film industry tariffs have led to confusion and unrest within Hollywood
Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, Goodfellas, Sunset Boulevard and the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Bloodsport – Donald Trump’s favourite movies are thoroughly American and 20th century. Foreign films? Not his thing.
At campaign rally in 2020 he reacted to the South Korean movie Parasite winning the best picture Oscar by demanding: “What the hell was that all about? We got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of that they give them best movie of the year? Was it good? I don’t know. Let’s get Gone With the Wind. Can we get Gone With the Wind back please?”
Continue reading...As an Asian giant rises and Trump postures, the UK offers commercial credibility while inching toward a pragmatic European reset it won’t name
In the theatre of 21st-century trade diplomacy, symbolism often eclipses substance. Last week’s UK-India and US-UK agreements reveal a curious asymmetry: in both, the larger partner, in terms of GDP, leveraged the relationship for political ends, while the UK supplied what matters – regulatory prestige and high-income consumers. The former deal offers India a chance to climb the “value chain” and access markets it cannot replicate at home. Donald Trump used his pact to stage a spectacle of grievance and control.
Ironically, Britain – the smaller economy – behaves like the grown-up in both rooms. India turns the agreement into genuine gains. The UK’s trade concessions offer a glimpse of Delhi’s broader ambition: to pry open rich-world markets and access critical tech, as India positions itself as the west’s manufacturing alternative to China. By contrast, Mr Trump’s America focuses on image over impact. But Washington has tacitly conceded that the real action – on AI, digital services tax and UK pharma tariffs still in place under the deal – has yet to begin. The pact falls well short of the sweeping agreement Britain once sought with the US, and lacks the depth of the UK-India deal.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Social care, hospitality, health, universities and construction sectors raise questions over impact of plan
Keir Starmer’s blueprint for curbing immigration could exacerbate skills shortages in sectors that would “fall over” without immigrant labour, the prime minister has been told.
Starmer said that businesses in particular had become “almost addicted to importing cheap labour” rather than investing in UK talent.
Continue reading...The government’s claims about immigration driving down wages are so demonstrably untrue, it’s hard to feel the appropriate level of outrage
I would love to know what exactly happens, in the top-level meetings where the prime minister decides to be even tougher on immigration. Is there anyone in there saying: “This will not halt Reform. This will not make Reform less obnoxious. This will not make them more moderate, and it will not stop people voting for them. All it will do is make your own supporters despair.” If there is, are they screaming it, or whispering it, with a thousand-yard stare?
It’s bad enough that the government has swallowed this anti-immigrant rhetoric wholesale; that it’s decided to land its misdirected toughness on the care workers is dumb on so many levels. First, Starmer’s claim that that migrant care workers are “cheap foreign labour”. Pause to note how extraordinary it is, to hear this kind of denigratory language coming from a human-rights lawyer. It is also untrue that migrants are driving down wages. People who employ care workers could tell him it’s untrue; data could tell him it’s untrue. The last vestige of faith in this Labour government was that it rooted its arguments in fact. As it ceased to be the anti-austerity party, and dropped its promises that anything would get better, it would – at the very least, and it wasn’t much – not just say any old bilge that tested well with the imaginary Angry Red Wall Inhabitant.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Zelenskyy had no choice but to accept Putin’s invitation to talks, diplomats say
Donald Trump’s social media post insisting Ukraine must immediately start peace talks with Russia has set back, and possibly jeopardised, Europe’s carefully laid plans to persuade the US to impose sanctions on Moscow for refusing the US president’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, European diplomats have said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no choice but to accept Vladimir Putin’s invitation to talks in Istanbul on Thursday for fear of offending Trump, diplomats said. Putin made the offer in a bid not to alienate the US president, and avoid the growing European pressure on Trump to impose harsher sanctions. Western diplomats say they have no reason to believe that Trump acted in collusion with the Russian leader.
Continue reading...Karenia mikimotoi algae can suffocate fish, cause haemorrhaging and act as a neurotoxin, one expert says
More than 200 marine species, including deepwater sharks, leafy sea dragons and octopuses, have been killed by a toxic algal bloom that has been affecting South Australia’s coastline since March.
Nearly half (47%) of the dead species were ray-finned fish and a quarter (26%) were sharks and rays, according to OzFish analysis of 1,400 citizen scientist reports.
Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email
Continue reading...Sustainable farming initiative is part of payment package that replaced EU’s common agricultural policy
Ministers wrongly refused nature funding to 3,000 farmers in England when they shut the post-Brexit subsidy scheme, the government has admitted.
There was anger earlier this year when the environment secretary, Steve Reed, suddenly paused a key post-Brexit farming payments scheme with little information about what would replace it and when.
Continue reading...Internal Google documents show that the tech giant feared it wouldn’t be able to monitor how Israel might use its technology to harm Palestinians.
The post Google Worried It Couldn’t Control How Israel Uses Project Nimbus, Files Reveal appeared first on The Intercept.
Markets rally after Washington and Beijing agree to drastically cut reciprocal tariffs as US treasury secretary says ‘neither side wants a decoupling’
Donald Trump hailed a “total reset” in relations between China and the US after the countries agreed a 90-day pause to the deepening trade war that has threatened to upend the global economy, with tariffs to be lowered by 115 percentage points.
“They’ve agreed to open up China,” the US president claimed at a press conference at the White House on Monday morning, having spent months escalating tensions with Beijing by ratcheting up tariffs on the country’s exports.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Campaigners call for energy profits levy to be made permanent to enable ‘just transition’ from fossil fuels
Making permanent the UK’s windfall tax on oil and gas producers would generate enough cash to enable North Sea workers to move to green jobs, research has found.
Cutting current subsidies to fossil fuel producers would free up yet more funds to spend on the shift to a low-carbon economy, according to the report.
Continue reading...Decriminalisation is finally possible – but unless we future-proof the law against anti-abortion extremists, the right to choose hangs in the balance
Opening the Pandora’s box of abortion reform is something no one should do without the confidence that they are able to manage the resulting chaos. Moves to decriminalise abortion, in response to the continued prosecution of women for having one, could unintentionally enable the restriction of access under a future regressive government. To prevent this and protect services, it is time to write into our statute that safe and legal access to abortion is a human right across our nation.
It still shocks many people to realise that in 2025 abortion is not actually legal for most of the UK. Only in Northern Ireland do women have a right to an abortion. Everywhere else they are exempted from prosecution if it is determined they have met certain access conditions. This is not a quaint jurisprudence debate – it is driving the explosion in recent years of investigations and prosecutions of women and girls for having abortions in England. A vulnerable 15-year-old girl who didn’t know she was pregnant and had a late-term miscarriage found a police constable at her hospital bed. Others have spent years under suspicion and investigation, and in some cases in jail.
Stella Creasy is the Labour and Cooperative MP for Walthamstow
Continue reading...A deeply-researched account of the public fascination with Diana Spencer takes in royalists, republicans, lookalikes and sex workers
A thriving industry of books, TV shows and films has kept Diana, Princess of Wales’s image alive since her death in 1997. Most focus on her flawed inner world, and claim to uncover her “true” self. Edward White’s lively, deeply researched Dianaworld gives us something very different.
White, whose previous work includes an acclaimed biography of Alfred Hitchcock, approaches Diana’s story through the people who saw themselves in her – the doppelgangers, opportunists and superfans who found parallels between the princess’s life of extraordinary privilege and their own. His subjects are the frequently ridiculed devotees who fuel celebrity culture: women rushing for the Diana hairdo; impersonators opening supermarkets; psychics jolted awake the night of the fatal crash. It is, White says, “less a biography of Diana, more the story of a cultural obsession”.
Dianaworld by Edward White (Penguin Books Ltd, £25). To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Decision on whether to work with turbine maker being overseen by ministers after British Steel rescue
Ministers are weighing up proposals for a Chinese company to supply wind turbines for a major offshore windfarm in the North Sea.
The government is in discussions with Green Volt North Sea over whether Mingyang, China’s biggest offshore wind company, should supply the wind turbines. Mingyang has emerged as the preferred manufacturer, but the company has sought advice from ministers on whether to proceed.
Continue reading...Prof Shafiqul Islam and Wajid Mushtaq Teli respond to an editorial on the ongoing military clashes between the two countries
Your editorial (The Guardian view on India and Pakistan: a newly dangerous moment in an old dispute, 7 May) underscores the alarming escalation between India and Pakistan, but the suspension of the Indus waters treaty and the missile strikes are more than just a return to familiar hostility. They reflect a deeper pattern that I call the urgency-actionability trap: the impulse to respond to provocation, even when those responses, whether symbolic or military, offer little durable benefit and risk spiralling escalation.
India’s suspension of the Indus treaty is technically limited – it cannot “turn off the tap” overnight – but it sets a dangerous precedent in normalising water as a weapon. Pakistan’s retaliatory posture, similarly, satisfies domestic politics while weakening regional water security. Neither action advances stability; both reinforce distrust.
Continue reading...From showerheads to plastic straws, the president brags that he’s expanding options for consumers – while drastically restricting choices in almost all other spheres
Freedom of choice is a venerable American value. Donald Trump’s attachment to it is, however, highly selective.
Over the first four months of his administration, Trump has been eagerly promoting the expansion of choice in our economic lives. That’s especially the case when it comes to our role as consumers. Think kitchens, baths and automobiles; the stated goal every time he talks about commodities has been increasing the number of options so we can select and buy what we like best – environmental effects notwithstanding. Even his tariffs are only supposed to bring temporary pain, as in emptier toy shelves, before American-made abundance starts to rule the day once again.
Continue reading...Under pressure from Reform and from the former PM, Keir Starmer is facing a series of tests of his resolve on green policy
Populist politicians are striking a chord with the public in their attack on “the green agenda” because they are right – climate policies are elitist. So says the man standing to be the next leader of the Green party in England and Wales.
“We should all be angry about net zero,” argues Zack Polanski, currently the Greens’ deputy leader. “The poorest people in our society are being expected to step up to tackle the climate crisis. But it’s the government’s fault, not the people’s fault.”
Continue reading...After being threatened with losing their housing, several students who weren’t involved in the protests had their suspensions lifted.
The post Students Studying at Columbia Library Were Suspended for Protest They Took No Part In appeared first on The Intercept.
Any Trump administration efforts to send non-Libyans to the north African country would violate a prior court order
Immigrants in Texas who were told they would be deported to Libya sat on a military airfield tarmac for hours on Wednesday, unsure of what would happen next, an attorney for one of the men has said.
The attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, told the news agency Reuters that his client, a Vietnamese construction worker from Los Angeles, was among the immigrants woken in the early morning hours and bussed from an immigration detention center in Pearsall, Texas, to an airfield where a military aircraft awaited them.
Continue reading...Lawyers for hip-hop mogul claim alleged sex-trafficking incidents were consensual relationships
The high-profile racketeering and sex-trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs began on Monday, with prosecutors declaring that “there was another side” to the hip-hop mogul, saying that he “ran a criminal enterprise” and noting that three women would testify during the trial who can speak to Combs’s alleged coercion and/or sexual misconduct.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation for prostitution – all felony charges.
Continue reading...Former president of nation re-elected as mayor of city of Davao despite his enforced absence
Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been re-elected as mayor of the city of Davao, the family’s stronghold, despite being imprisoned thousands of miles away in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity.
With more than 60% of returns in, Duterte, 80, had an insurmountable lead of 405,000 votes – far ahead of his nearest competitor who trailed on 49,000, according to unofficial results from the election commission published by local media.
Continue reading...Israeli extremist officials deny the existence of famine in Gaza as they push for harsher measures to block food.
The post Famine Haunts the People of Gaza. Israel Is Trying to Convince You It’s Fake. appeared first on The Intercept.
Do you work in the UK in any sector where there have been efforts to increase representation and have they been sustained?
Reform UK has said it will roll back diversity and inclusion initiatives in councils it controls. Nigel Farage said during a speech on Friday that he would advise staff working on diversity or climate change initiatives to seek “alternative careers very, very quickly” after the party took control of Durham county council.
What has your experience of these policies been in the workplace? Do you work in any sector where there have been efforts to increase representation and have they been sustained?
Continue reading...A Chinese company has developed an AI-piloted submersible that can reach speeds “similar to a destroyer or a US Navy torpedo,” dive “up to 60 metres underwater,” and “remain static for more than a month, like the stealth capabilities of a nuclear submarine.” In case you’re worried about the military applications of this, you can relax because the company says that the submersible is “designated for civilian use” and can “launch research rockets.”
“Research rockets.” Sure.
...Groundbreaking Swiss-Cameroonian curator would have been the first African woman to head up the art event
Koyo Kouoh, the groundbreaking Swiss-Cameroonian curator who was to become the first African woman to head up the Venice Biennale, died suddenly on Saturday, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa announced.
“It is with profound sorrow that the trustees of Zeitz MOCAA announce the sudden passing of Koyo Kouoh, our beloved executive director and chief curator, on Saturday, 10 May 2025,” said the museum in a statement on Monday.
Continue reading...A day after being attacked by a pro-Israel mob, protesters were shot by rubber bullets — whose use is restricted by California law.
The post Police Shot Them in the Head With Rubber Bullets. Now UCLA Gaza Protesters Are Suing. appeared first on The Intercept.
As Trump talks of a ceasefire with the Houthis, soldiers in the Middle East have faced steady and seldom discussed attacks.
The post U.S. Troops Are Being Attacked Every Other Day in the Middle East appeared first on The Intercept.
The suit says Michigan is the only state with a policy directive to use body cameras on women in invasive searches, showers, and even on the toilet.
The post Michigan Prison Films Women in Showers — and Caught Guards Saying Lewd Things, Lawsuit Says appeared first on The Intercept.
After The Intercept revealed Michael Obadal’s equity in Anduril, Sen. Elizabeth Warren called for him to sell his shares.
The post Trump Army Appointee Should Sell His Anduril Stock, Sen. Warren Demands appeared first on The Intercept.
“We are concerned at the appearance of targeting publicly pro-union worker leaders,” said a union official about a raid in western New York.
The post “They Actually Had a List”: ICE Arrests Workers Involved in Landmark Labor Rights Case appeared first on The Intercept.
In the rapidly advancing landscape of AI technology and innovation, LimeWire emerges as a unique platform in the realm of generative AI tools. This platform not only stands out from the multitude of existing AI tools but also brings a fresh approach to content generation. LimeWire not only empowers users to create AI content but also provides creators with creative ways to share and monetize their creations.
As we explore LimeWire, our aim is to uncover its features, benefits for creators, and the exciting possibilities it offers for AI content generation. This platform presents an opportunity for users to harness the power of AI in image creation, all while enjoying the advantages of a free and accessible service.
Let's unravel the distinctive features that set LimeWire apart in the dynamic landscape of AI-powered tools, understanding how creators can leverage its capabilities to craft unique and engaging AI-generated images.
This revamped LimeWire invites users to register and unleash their creativity by crafting original AI content, which can then be shared and showcased on the LimeWire Studio. Notably, even acclaimed artists and musicians, such as Deadmau5, Soulja Boy, and Sean Kingston, have embraced this platform to publish their content in the form of NFT music, videos, and images.
Beyond providing a space for content creation and sharing, LimeWire introduces monetization models to empower users to earn revenue from their creations. This includes avenues such as earning ad revenue and participating in the burgeoning market of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). As we delve further, we'll explore these monetization strategies in more detail to provide a comprehensive understanding of LimeWire's innovative approach to content creation and distribution.
LimeWire Studio welcomes content creators into its fold, providing a space to craft personalized AI-focused content for sharing with fans and followers. Within this creative hub, every piece of content generated becomes not just a creation but a unique asset—ownable and tradable. Fans have the opportunity to subscribe to creators' pages, immersing themselves in the creative journey and gaining ownership of digital collectibles that hold tradeable value within the LimeWire community. Notably, creators earn a 2.5% royalty each time their content is traded, adding a rewarding element to the creative process.
The platform's flexibility is evident in its content publication options. Creators can choose to share their work freely with the public or opt for a premium subscription model, granting exclusive access to specialized content for subscribers.
As of the present moment, LimeWire focuses on AI Image Generation, offering a spectrum of creative possibilities to its user base. The platform, however, has ambitious plans on the horizon, aiming to broaden its offerings by introducing AI music and video generation tools in the near future. This strategic expansion promises creators even more avenues for expression and engagement with their audience, positioning LimeWire Studio as a dynamic and evolving platform within the realm of AI-powered content creation.
The LimeWire AI image generation tool presents a versatile platform for both the creation and editing of images. Supporting advanced models such as Stable Diffusion 2.1, Stable Diffusion XL, and DALL-E 2, LimeWire offers a sophisticated toolkit for users to delve into the realm of generative AI art.
Much like other tools in the generative AI landscape, LimeWire provides a range of options catering to various levels of complexity in image creation. Users can initiate the creative process with prompts as simple as a few words or opt for more intricate instructions, tailoring the output to their artistic vision.
What sets LimeWire apart is its seamless integration of different AI models and design styles. Users have the flexibility to effortlessly switch between various AI models, exploring diverse design styles such as cinematic, digital art, pixel art, anime, analog film, and more. Each style imparts a distinctive visual identity to the generated AI art, enabling users to explore a broad spectrum of creative possibilities.
The platform also offers additional features, including samplers, allowing users to fine-tune the quality and detail levels of their creations. Customization options and prompt guidance further enhance the user experience, providing a user-friendly interface for both novice and experienced creators.
Excitingly, LimeWire is actively developing its proprietary AI model, signaling ongoing innovation and enhancements to its image generation capabilities. This upcoming addition holds the promise of further expanding the creative horizons for LimeWire users, making it an evolving and dynamic platform within the landscape of AI-driven art and image creation.
Sign Up Now To Get Free Credits
Upon completing your creative endeavor on LimeWire, the platform allows you the option to publish your content. An intriguing feature follows this step: LimeWire automates the process of minting your creation as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), utilizing either the Polygon or Algorand blockchain. This transformative step imbues your artwork with a unique digital signature, securing its authenticity and ownership in the decentralized realm.
Creators on LimeWire hold the power to decide the accessibility of their NFT creations. By opting for a public release, the content becomes discoverable by anyone, fostering a space for engagement and interaction. Furthermore, this choice opens the avenue for enthusiasts to trade the NFTs, adding a layer of community involvement to the artistic journey.
Alternatively, LimeWire acknowledges the importance of exclusivity. Creators can choose to share their posts exclusively with their premium subscribers. In doing so, the content remains a special offering solely for dedicated fans, creating an intimate and personalized experience within the LimeWire community. This flexibility in sharing options emphasizes LimeWire's commitment to empowering creators with choices in how they connect with their audience and distribute their digital creations.
After creating your content, you can choose to publish the content. It will automatically mint your creation as an NFT on the Polygon or Algorand blockchain. You can also choose whether to make it public or subscriber-only.
If you make it public, anyone can discover your content and even trade the NFTs. If you choose to share the post only with your premium subscribers, it will be exclusive only to your fans.
Additionally, you can earn ad revenue from your content creations as well.
When you publish content on LimeWire, you will receive 70% of all ad revenue from other users who view your images, music, and videos on the platform.
This revenue model will be much more beneficial to designers. You can experiment with the AI image and content generation tools and share your creations while earning a small income on the side.
The revenue you earn from your creations will come in the form of LMWR tokens, LimeWire’s own cryptocurrency.
Your earnings will be paid every month in LMWR, which you can then trade on many popular crypto exchange platforms like Kraken, ByBit, and UniSwap.
You can also use your LMWR tokens to pay for prompts when using LimeWire generative AI tools.
You can sign up to LimeWire to use its AI tools for free. You will receive 10 credits to use and generate up to 20 AI images per day. You will also receive 50% of the ad revenue share. However, you will get more benefits with premium plans.
For $9.99 per month, you will get 1,000 credits per month, up to 2 ,000 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 50% ad revenue share
For $29 per month, you will get 3750 credits per month, up to 7500 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 60% ad revenue share
For $49 per month, you will get 5,000 credits per month, up to 10,000 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 70% ad revenue share
For $99 per month, you will get 11,250 credits per month, up to 2 2,500 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 70% ad revenue share
With all premium plans, you will receive a Pro profile badge, full creation history, faster image generation, and no ads.
Sign Up Now To Get Free Credits
In conclusion, LimeWire emerges as a democratizing force in the creative landscape, providing an inclusive platform where anyone can unleash their artistic potential and effortlessly share their work. With the integration of AI, LimeWire eliminates traditional barriers, empowering designers, musicians, and artists to publish their creations and earn revenue with just a few clicks.
The ongoing commitment of LimeWire to innovation is evident in its plans to enhance generative AI tools with new features and models. The upcoming expansion to include music and video generation tools holds the promise of unlocking even more possibilities for creators. It sparks anticipation about the diverse and innovative ways in which artists will leverage these tools to produce and publish their own unique creations.
For those eager to explore, LimeWire's AI tools are readily accessible for free, providing an opportunity to experiment and delve into the world of generative art. As LimeWire continues to evolve, creators are encouraged to stay tuned for the launch of its forthcoming AI music and video generation tools, promising a future brimming with creative potential and endless artistic exploration
Are you looking for a new graphic design tool? Would you like to read a detailed review of Canva? As it's one of the tools I love using. I am also writing my first ebook using canva and publish it soon on my site you can download it is free. Let's start the review.
Canva has a web version and also a mobile app
Canva is a free graphic design web application that allows you to create invitations, business cards, flyers, lesson plans, banners, and more using professionally designed templates. You can upload your own photos from your computer or from Google Drive, and add them to Canva's templates using a simple drag-and-drop interface. It's like having a basic version of Photoshop that doesn't require Graphic designing knowledge to use. It’s best for nongraphic designers.
Canva is a great tool for small business owners, online entrepreneurs, and marketers who don’t have the time and want to edit quickly.
To create sophisticated graphics, a tool such as Photoshop can is ideal. To use it, you’ll need to learn its hundreds of features, get familiar with the software, and it’s best to have a good background in design, too.
Also running the latest version of Photoshop you need a high-end computer.
So here Canva takes place, with Canva you can do all that with drag-and-drop feature. It’s also easier to use and free. Also an even-more-affordable paid version is available for $12.95 per month.
The product is available in three plans: Free, Pro ($12.99/month per user or $119.99/year for up to 5 people), and Enterprise ($30 per user per month, minimum 25 people).
To get started on Canva, you will need to create an account by providing your email address, Google, Facebook or Apple credentials. You will then choose your account type between student, teacher, small business, large company, non-profit, or personal. Based on your choice of account type, templates will be recommended to you.
You can sign up for a free trial of Canva Pro, or you can start with the free version to get a sense of whether it’s the right graphic design tool for your needs.
When you sign up for an account, Canva will suggest different post types to choose from. Based on the type of account you set up you'll be able to see templates categorized by the following categories: social media posts, documents, presentations, marketing, events, ads, launch your business, build your online brand, etc.
Start by choosing a template for your post or searching for something more specific. Search by social network name to see a list of post types on each network.
Next, you can choose a template. Choose from hundreds of templates that are ready to go, with customizable photos, text, and other elements.
You can start your design by choosing from a variety of ready-made templates, searching for a template matching your needs, or working with a blank template.
Inside the Canva designer, the Elements tab gives you access to lines and shapes, graphics, photos, videos, audio, charts, photo frames, and photo grids.The search box on the Elements tab lets you search everything on Canva.
To begin with, Canva has a large library of elements to choose from. To find them, be specific in your search query. You may also want to search in the following tabs to see various elements separately:
The Photos tab lets you search for and choose from millions of professional stock photos for your templates.
You can replace the photos in our templates to create a new look. This can also make the template more suited to your industry.
You can find photos on other stock photography sites like pexel, pixabay and many more or simply upload your own photos.
When you choose an image, Canva’s photo editing features let you adjust the photo’s settings (brightness, contrast, saturation, etc.), crop, or animate it.
When you subscribe to Canva Pro, you get access to a number of premium features, including the Background Remover. This feature allows you to remove the background from any stock photo in library or any image you upload.
The Text tab lets you add headings, normal text, and graphical text to your design.
When you click on text, you'll see options to adjust the font, font size, color, format, spacing, and text effects (like shadows).
Canva Pro subscribers can choose from a large library of fonts on the Brand Kit or the Styles tab. Enterprise-level controls ensure that visual content remains on-brand, no matter how many people are working on it.
Create an animated image or video by adding audio to capture user’s attention in social news feeds.
If you want to use audio from another stock site or your own audio tracks, you can upload them in the Uploads tab or from the more option.
Want to create your own videos? Choose from thousands of stock video clips. You’ll find videos that range upto 2 minutes
You can upload your own videos as well as videos from other stock sites in the Uploads tab.
Once you have chosen a video, you can use the editing features in Canva to trim the video, flip it, and adjust its transparency.
On the Background tab, you’ll find free stock photos to serve as backgrounds on your designs. Change out the background on a template to give it a more personal touch.
The Styles tab lets you quickly change the look and feel of your template with just a click. And if you have a Canva Pro subscription, you can upload your brand’s custom colors and fonts to ensure designs stay on brand.
If you have a Canva Pro subscription, you’ll have a Logos tab. Here, you can upload variations of your brand logo to use throughout your designs.
With Canva, you can also create your own logos. Note that you cannot trademark a logo with stock content in it.
With Canva, free users can download and share designs to multiple platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Slack and Tumblr.
Canva Pro subscribers can create multiple post formats from one design. For example, you can start by designing an Instagram post, and Canva's Magic Resizer can resize it for other networks, Stories, Reels, and other formats.
Canva Pro subscribers can also use Canva’s Content Planner to post content on eight different accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Slack, and Tumblr.
Canva Pro allows you to work with your team on visual content. Designs can be created inside Canva, and then sent to your team members for approval. Everyone can make comments, edits, revisions, and keep track via the version history.
When it comes to printing your designs, Canva has you covered. With an extensive selection of printing options, they can turn your designs into anything from banners and wall art to mugs and t-shirts.
Canva Print is perfect for any business seeking to make a lasting impression. Create inspiring designs people will want to wear, keep, and share. Hand out custom business cards that leave a lasting impression on customers' minds.
The Canva app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The Canva app has earned a 4.9 out of five star rating from over 946.3K Apple users and a 4.5 out of five star rating from over 6,996,708 Google users.
In addition to mobile apps, you can use Canva’s integration with other Internet services to add images and text from sources like Google Maps, Emojis, photos from Google Drive and Dropbox, YouTube videos, Flickr photos, Bitmojis, and other popular visual content elements.
In general, Canva is an excellent tool for those who need simple images for projects. If you are a graphic designer with experience, you will find Canva’s platform lacking in customization and advanced features – particularly vectors. But if you have little design experience, you will find Canva easier to use than advanced graphic design tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator for most projects. If you have any queries let me know in the comments section.
RSS Rabbit links users to publicly available RSS entries.
Vet every link before clicking! The creators accept no responsibility for the contents of these entries.
Relevant
Fresh
Convenient
Agile
We're not prepared to take user feedback yet. Check back soon!
