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afeelgoodblog · 30 days

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The Best News of Last Week - 29 April 2024

1. Net neutrality rules restored by US agency

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on Thursday to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules and reassume regulatory oversight of broadband internet rescinded under former President Donald Trump.

2. Airlines required to refund passengers for canceled, delayed flights

DOT will also require airlines to give cash refunds if your bags are lost and not delivered within 12 hours.

The refunds must be issued within seven days, according to the new DOT rules, and must be in cash unless the passenger chooses another form of compensation. Airlines can no longer issue refunds in forms of vouchers or credits when consumers are entitled to receive cash.

3. How new mosquito nets averted 13 million malaria cases

Compared to standard nets, the introduction of 56 million state-of-the-art mosquito nets in 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa averted an estimated 13 million malaria cases and 24,600 deaths. The New Nets Project, an initiative funded by Unitaid and the Global Fund and led by the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), piloted the use of dual-insecticide nets in malaria-endemic countries between 2019 and 2022 to address the growing threat of insecticide resistance.

4. Germany has installed over 400,000 ‘solar balconies’

This new wave of solar producers aren’t just getting cheap electricity, they’re also participating in the energy transition.

More than 400,000 plug-in solar systems have been installed in Germany, most of them taking up a seamless spot on people’s balconies.

5. Voyager-1 sends readable data again from deep space

The US space agency says its Voyager-1 probe is once again sending usable information back to Earth after months of spouting gibberish.

The 46-year-old Nasa spacecraft is humanity's most distant object.

6. Missing cat found after 5 years makes 2,000-km journey home

Five years after it ran out the door, a lost cat was returned to a couple in Nevada after it was found thousands of kilometres away. The couple are praising the cat’s microchip for helping reunite them.

7. Restoring sight is possible now with optogenetics

Max Hodak's startup, Science, is developing gene therapy solutions to restore vision for individuals with macular degeneration and similar conditions. The Science Eye utilizes optogenetics, injecting opsins into the eye to enhance light sensitivity in retinal cells.

Clinical trials and advancements in optogenetics are showing promising results, with the potential to significantly improve vision for those affected by retinal diseases.

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That's it for this week :)

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Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.

#best news of last week

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cheriladycl01 · 4 months

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All in a days work - Alexander Albon x Lifestyle/Travel Vlogger! Reader

Plot: Y/N vlogging her travels with Alex and how she see's so much of the places that they travel too with the Grand Prix

Credit to the-offside-rule for the GIF

"Hey guys, this week Y/N Adventures moves to Belgium. We just had an extremely short summer break but it was so fun! Alex and I went to Thailand for 10 days and then stayed in London with family for the rest! The vlogs already out so you can go check that out" you grin before you stop to one side in the airport you and Alex are currently navigating through.

"We're leaving a little earlier compared to most driver's. We have to be in Spa, and checked into the Hotel Red Bull provide for the race weekend by Thursday the 29th. It's currently the 25th of August 2019 and we are going to Brussels for 4 nights" you say excitedly before you look over to your boyfriend confused.

He was the typical 'airport dad' boyfriend when you both travelled, and you always wanted to catch it on camera because everyone who watched you found it hilarious.

Currently he was looking down at the bulk of paper, checking through the bag meticulously making sure passports and all other essentials were there.

He'd had too many close calls where you guys had forgotten travel adaptors and were travelling with dead phones or times when you'd gotten flight times mixed up by an hour and had to run to the gate.

He turns to look at you, seeing the camera making him groan before turning away with a light blush. You laugh to yourself swinging the camera back round to yourself before looking around.

"We are currently in London Gatwick, and we are going to go find the Red Lion, Spoons so i can tell you guys about the itinerary of this week" you grinned before cutting the camera and taking your on-board suitcase and Alex's hand walking towards the pub.

"Okay, so Alex is at the bar ordering us drinks right now and I'm going to talk you through the itinerary. So we get into Brussels at 11.30 and can check into our hotel straight away. Then tomorrow we'll be going to Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and looking at the amazing art, and then in the afternoon we are meeting with a friend from Belgium whose going to give us a walking tour of the city centre. Tuesday Alex and I have a spa booked and we'll do some shopping! And then Wednesday is our free day where we going to meet some locals and get a real feel for the culture" you say before spotting Alex coming back with your lemonade that you gladly took from him with a thank you and a massive gulp.

"What have you told them so far, sweetheart!" he asks taking a sip of his beer.

"The itinerary for before the race!" you smile at him.

"Hmmm, you've not told them about the fun day trip after?" he offers making you gasp forgetting that you had major things planned for the Monday and Tuesday before Italy.

"Yes guys we are going to drive over to Germany to Cologne so we can spend time in the theme park there!" you exclaim excited.

"Mmm she wanted to go to Ferrari Land but we are saving that for when we go to Abu Dhabi!" he interjects.

"Then we'll be going straight to Italy! Italy is one of Y/N's fav places guys!" Alex chuckles, you guys had met in Italy 2 years prior while he was in F2.

"Yes I'm excited to see you there!"

*Skip to Sunday!*

"So this is actually Alex's first race in Red Bull, he's starting from 17th today as qualifying wasn't what we were hoping for yesterday, was it hunny" you pan to Alex zipping up the outer part of his race suit. He pulls his headphones out and tilts his head to the side, a cute puppy dog expression resting on it.

"Qualifying, your first in Red Bull wasn't what you were hoping for? But it's today that matters!" you smile kindly at him to which he nods, knowing that yesterday he was still trying to get used to the car. It wasn't like the Toro Rosso he had driven since the start of the year, it was more aggressive, something that was a Max Verstappen driving style. But today is what would count, he agreed with you.

"Yeah. I mean it's a hard car to drive and even with the practice sessions it's still hard to get used to! Spa is also a difficult track, so yeah its just about getting used to it!" he smiles, pulling you in by your waist to his side before kissing you and running of somewhere into the garage.

"It's looking like an interesting season though guys. Lewis is strong, Ferrari is strong, we've got 3 new promising rookies one of them being my boyfriend! So yeah I'm excited for today!"

Max DNFed early on not even completing his first lap, whereas Alex stormed through the grid all the way from P17 to P5 gaining valuable points for Red Bull.

"You did amazing Alex! I'm so so proud of you!" you compliment hugging him as you were stood with the rest of the Red Bull Team! It was a really sweet moment. All of the team cheering for Alex as he pulled into the pits. Christian had congratulated him on an amazing first race and the rest of the team pulled him into hugs that you filmed.

The chaos in the garage was something you loved!

"Charles! Charles" you'd shouted over to him as you saw him walking to the cool down room preparing for him P1 podium!

"Oh Y/N! Hello!" he grins looking down at you.

"Well done on P1 it was an amazing race from you today!" you grin, pulling him into a side hug. You both chat for a little while before Seb comes out heckling him inside.

"Well guys, Belgium has been a blast! I'm going to edit these videos on the plane to Cologne and Italy!" you grin before ending up the vlog.

"Ah you all finished up for Belgium baby?" Alex asks peering over you shoulder wrapping his arms around your waist from behind.

"Yeah! I'm excited for Cologne! Did you say Lando and George were coming with us?" you ask, tilting your head to the side unsure if Alex's rookie friends were accompanying you on your two day theme park trip.

"Yeah, they don't need to go home, so they said it would be easier travelling with us!" Alex smiles swaying you side to side.

"This will be lots and lots of fun!" you exclaim.

Before you knew it you and Lando look it in turns driving the four of you across the Belgium border into Germany and to the Theme Park you guys would spend time in. You got there late Monday morning all of you being tired and not wanting to get up at the ass crack of dawn. You guys all enjoyed a hotel breakfast together.

All the other drivers were confused about the four all in very chipper moods and all animatedly discussing something.

They had of course asked where you were off to and after explaining you were going to a theme park. Charles, Pierre, Carlos and Daniel all agreed to join you guys which left them in a car behind you following you to the park.

Some people, like Lando, Carlos and George didn't want to go on some of the bigger rides. So it was left to the rest of you, you all changed seats making sure no-one was left alone the whole time. You guys went to all the little food stands, making sure to get Lando waffles and get Charles chocolate covered strawberries.

It was probably one of the best days out, and you knew that people especially the F1 fans would enjoy the vlog around the park. There was funny moments between Lando, Carlos and Daniel. Chares and Pierre had ended up on a kiddie ride just the two of them. You and George had been sat on the mine train together and were talking to each other in what you could only describe as a Texan Drawl.

"So how are you all feeling about Italy, home of Tifosi you've got a lot of pressure Charles" you smile over at him. You guys were all sat in a Chinese themed restaurant around a big circular table, talking about the season so far and what lies ahead.

"I mean, I felt good in Belgium the car had the pace. I feel like I can do the same in Italy" Charles admits.

"How about you babe, you think you can keep Golden Boy Max behind you?" you grin teasing your boyfriend who said he was stressing about Max and how he wont always DNF in a race.

"Yeah, I mean that car is literally built for Max. Pierre I'm sure would agree with me that its a hard car to drive because of that but I feel like I'm getting there" he offers.

And that's exactly how that weekend went. Alex placed ahead of Max, who did stay in the race while Charles won his second race of the season. It was an amazing race weekend followed by lots of shopping in Milan where you treated Alex to a gift congratulating him for his amazing races.

After Italy there was a big break before Singapore, rather than keeping on the road travelling you guys decided to go home and see both of your families in London. You were always travelling and coming home always felt like you were on some kind of reality TV show, where you were sat down before being unloaded with all the current family drama.

You and Alex would share look with each other, making gasps every now and then and interjecting where necessary. But it was always fun telling them about the stories from your own travels. The stories were more dramatic and chaotic from your days of solo travelling before you'd met Alex but you still had funny moments to report back to them.

And Alex's family always loved to hear what you and Alex and all your friends had been up too!

So coming home for this break was very needed!

Taglist:

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#f1 imagine #f1 x reader #formula 1 x you #formula 1 #formula one #formula one fanfiction #charles leclerc #lando norris #alexander albon #alex albon x reader #alex albon #alex albon imagine #alexander albon x reader #alex albon fluff

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somuchyoudontknow · 1 year

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CAA is omnipresent?

A wonderful friend has dug up some interesting information that I am about to share about CAA.

Jan 2023: The move cements the separation of their assets from the pan-European Wild Bunch AG film group, which was created in 2015 out of the merger of their original French company Wild Bunch and Germany’s Senator Film and is now majority-owned by German entrepreneur Lars Windhorst. This means Wild Bunch AG no longer owns its 20% stake in the independent standalone international sales company Maraval and Chioua and their 15-strong team launched in 2019 under the banner of Wild Bunch International (WBI). The company is now been majority owned by Maraval and Chioua and its staff, with CAA also holding a 20% stake. The pair are in the process of securing a new name but the public dropping of the Wild Bunch moniker marks a decisive move for them and their team as they continue to build the new company.

DEADLINE: Wild Bunch International has existed as a standalone company since 2019. Why have you decided only now to split from the iconic brand name you created in 2002 but no longer own? BRAHIM CHIOUA: When we created Wild Bunch International in 2019, Wild Bunch took a 20% stake in exchange for allowing us to use the Wild Bunch brand in our name under a signed three-year agreement. We had a second commercial cooperation deal for the same period under which Wild Bunch International continued to sell and manage Wild Bunch’s international catalogue for a fee, and also had access to the group’s back-office services, for which we paid a fee. This deal came to an end in November 2022 with a get-out clause for both parties. We opted to buyout Wild Bunch’s equity share.

DEADLINE: You have always worked closely with CAA. How does this move impact your relationship with the agency?

MARAVAL: CAA has been an historical partner and they allowed us to start the new company three years ago. Our relationship is probably one we are the most proud of because this goes beyond a simple business relationship. Together with Roeg Sutherland’s team, we built a unique business model of synergies and connection in term of promotion, financing , talent representation that benefit the talent and the producers we are working with such as Alice Diop, Nadine Labaki, Claire Denis, Rebecca Zlotowski, Ladj Ly, Jacques Audiard or Gaspar Noé for example.

DEADLINE: As well as continuing to work on international sales, the new company seems more directly involved in producing... MARAVAL: International sales is no longer our only activity. We’re much more involved as active co-producing partners whether it’s through Le Collectif 64 or Wild West. It’s not like in the past when a company such as Fidelité would come to us with a film, and we would say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Now, we participate in the development, financing and packaging of projects. Changes in the industry meant we had to reformat ourselves. We don’t have to sell the films produced by Getaway Films, Wild West or Le Collectif 64 because with those companies we’re wearing a co-producer hat with an active role. We need to find the best solution for each film, which won’t necessarily involve us selling it internationally on a territory basis.

Source:

It's interesting that WBI separated from WB AG in November 2022.

In the end of March 2023 they revealed their new name Goodfellas

February 2023: Still WBI has boarded sales on Amelia's children

November 2021: Former NBCUniversal Vice Chairman and CAA Co-Founder Ron Meyer Named CEO of Wild Bunch

So, CAA has 20% stake at Goodfellas (former WBI), their partner WB AG is run by a former CAA co-founder Ron Meyer. Another ex-CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz is one of Jinx partners. Omnipresent CAA

More about WB AG:

It looks like transatlantic cooperation, that's why pairing up an American actor and a European actress makes sense to attract not only domestic but also an international audience. As we know Chris is not well-known in Europe, if he wants more international fame and financing for the Kelly project from a non-US company, this pr rl might be a good chance for him.

Industry people have been informed about WBI and WB AG deal since 2019, Seb and Aly, Chris and Lily, and now Chris and Alba appeared in 2020. Actresses are from Europe.

The industry is changing due to many factors. Chris is trying to survive like many actors. He doesn't have his Marvel role too. It's a new start for him, he needs to build a solid foundation. Industry-wise, he is not RDJ or DJ, he doesn't have a pull to make people go to watch his movies as a lead, he needs pr.

Chris' case is also different because of Amelia's children and his 2 movies. And we don't know about Jinx marketing plans.

#chris evans pr #chris-evans #alba-baptista #CAA #jinx

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beardedmrbean · 3 months

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Rights campaigners have for years accused Beijing of a crackdown against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, including through forced labour and detention camps.

Beijing denies allegations of abuse and insists its actions in Xinjiang have helped to combat extremism and enhance development.

Germany's Handelsblatt financial daily reported this week that forced labour may have been used to build a test track for VW in Turpan, Xinjiang in 2019.

VW said Wednesday it had seen no evidence of human rights violations in connection with the project but vowed to investigate any new information that came to light.

In a statement sent to AFP, Beijing's foreign ministry said allegations of abuses in the region were "entirely a lie concocted... with the aim of destabilising Xinjiang".

It urged firms to "respect the facts, distinguish right from wrong, and not be blinded by lies".

In an apparent sign of the growing pressure on VW over its presence in the region, the company said this week that it was in talks with its Chinese joint-venture partner SAIC "about the future direction of business activities in Xinjiang".

"Various scenarios are currently being intensively examined," VW said in a statement.

Beijing said Thursday that "the human rights of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are protected to the maximum extent".

Claims of rights abuses in the northwestern region, it added, were aimed at "discrediting and suppressing China".

"Xinjiang currently enjoys social stability, economic development, ethnic unity, and religious harmony," the foreign ministry said.

Rights concerns

Beijing stands accused of incarcerating over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of detention facilities across Xinjiang.

Campaigners and Uyghurs overseas have said an array of abuses take place inside the facilities, including torture, forced labour, forced sterilisation and political indoctrination.

A UN report in 2022 detailed "credible" evidence of torture, forced medical treatment and sexual or gender-based violence -- as well as forced labour -- in the region.

But it stopped short of labelling Beijing's actions a "genocide", as the United States and some Western lawmakers have done.

Calls have grown louder for VW to reconsider its business activities in Xinjiang after German chemicals giant BASF announced last week that it would accelerate its exit from two joint ventures there.

Xinjiang is home to numerous factories that supply multinational companies, including big-name Western brands.

VW has long come under scrutiny over its factory in the city of Urumqi, which opened in 2013 and in which it has a stake via its partner SAIC.

An external audit commissioned by VW last year found no evidence of forced labour among the plant's 197 employees.

But the consultancy that wrote the report acknowledged "the challenges in collecting data" for audits in China.

The Turpan test track was not part of the audit.

#nunyas news

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wikiuntamed · 5 months

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On this day in Wikipedia: Thursday, 4th January

Welcome, welkom, ようこそ (yōkoso), fàilte 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 4th January through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

4th January 2023 🗓️ : Death - Rosi Mittermaier Rosi Mittermaier, German alpine skier and Olympic champion (b. 1950) "Rosa Anna Katharina Mittermaier-Neureuther (German: [ˈʁozi ˈmɪtɐˌmaɪ̯ɐ] ; 5 August 1950 – 4 January 2023) was a German alpine skier. She was the overall World Cup champion in 1976 and a double gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics.Mittermaier competed in alpine skiing from 1967 to 1976, retiring..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by blu-news.org

4th January 2019 🗓️ : Death - Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense) Harold Brown, 14th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1927) "Harold Brown (September 19, 1927 – January 4, 2019) was an American nuclear physicist who served as United States Secretary of Defense from 1977 to 1981, under President Jimmy Carter. Previously, in the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations, he held the posts of Director of Defense..."

Image by United States Department of Defense

4th January 2013 🗓️ : Event - Kawit shooting A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines. "The Kawit shooting was a mass murder that occurred in barangay Tabon 1 in Kawit, Philippines, on January 4, 2013. 41-year-old Ronald Baquiran Bae killed at least seven people and a dog and wounded twelve other people with a semiautomatic pistol, before he was shot and killed by police. Another man,..."

4th January 1974 🗓️ : Birth - Danilo Hondo Danilo Hondo, German cyclist "Danilo Hondo (born 4 January 1974) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. He won the German National Road Race in 2002. He competed in the men's team pursuit at the 1996 Summer Olympics.He was banned from professional cycling and then later won his appeal to return to the sport. From..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Rolf Kaiser, Bochum, Germany

4th January 1924 🗓️ : Death - Alfred Grünfeld Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1852) "Alfred Grünfeld (4 July 1852 in Prague – 4 January 1924 in Vienna) was an Austrian pianist and composer. ..."

Image by Erwin Raupp

4th January 1821 🗓️ : Death - Elizabeth Ann Seton Elizabeth Ann Seton, American nun and saint (b. 1774) "Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was a Catholic religious sister in the United States and an educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. After her death, she became the first person born in what would become the United States to be canonized..."

Image by Amabilia Filicchi

4th January 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Ferréol of Uzès "Saint Ferréol (Ferreolus) of Uzès (530 – January 4, 581 AD) was bishop of Uzès and possibly bishop of Nîmes (Catholic Encyclopedia "Nîmes") (553-581). His Feast Day is January 4. He was born in Narbonne, apparently a grandson of Cloderic of the Ripuarian Franks. Bishops in Merovingian Gaul were..."

#OnThisDayInWikiHistory #WikiUntamed #WhereNext #WikiWonderland

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bespokeredmayne · 1 year

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Blue Thursday? Hardly.

A little Eddie Redmayne from the archives for a winter Throwback Thursday. This was an outtake from a 2019 London GQ Germany cover session (the one with the pink suit!) by Giampaolo Sgura @giampaolosgura, with notably impeccable grooming by Petra Nina Sellge. There was even a delightful video to accompany the photo spread, below.

youtube

#eddie redmayne #GQ germany #london 2019 #giampaolo sgura #petra nina sellge #fashion video #gq pink cover #Youtube

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mariacallous · 2 years

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(JTA) – The Anti-Defamation League urged sportswear giant Adidas this week to end its partnership with rapper Kanye West over his recent antisemitic comments, while West went on a podcast to brag that “I can literally say antisemitic s— and they cannot drop me.”

The comments came shortly before luxury fashion brand Balenciaga announced Thursday that it had severed ties with West, in a statement to Women’s Wear Daily shortly after publishing its third-quarter earnings results. The brand did not give a reason.

West, who goes by Ye, has been embroiled in controversy ever since Balenciaga’s recent Paris Fashion Week show earlier this month, at which he debuted a line of “White Lives Matter” shirts. Since then, the rapper and fashion mogul has unleashed a slew of antisemitism across social media and in news interviews, including vowing to go “death con 3 on Jewish people” and claiming that he is the target of a “Jewish underground media mafia.” He was locked out of several social media accounts as a result of his posts.

Balenciaga’s break-up with West was especially notable because the brand has had a years-long relationship with him. West first met the company’s lead designer, Demna, in 2014, and the two have regularly corresponded since; he’s spent reported millions of dollars on Balenciaga goods; and he began regularly collaborating with them in 2019 on shows, labels and other projects.

Adidas’ own relationship with West stretches back nearly a decade. In a letter Thursday to the CEO and board chair of Adidas, ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt pushed the company to end it.

“At this point, what more do you need to review?” Greenblatt asked them, adding that he was “particularly alarmed” that a new shoe collaboration was scheduled to release in the run-up to the anniversary of the Tree of Life Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, in which a white supremacist murdered 11 Jews during Shabbat services.

Days before Greenblatt’s letter, West appeared on the popular rap podcast “Drink Champs” and bragged that he could maintain his Adidas partnership no matter how many antisemitic things he said.

“The thing about it being Adidas is like, I can literally say antisemitic s*** and they cannot drop me,” he said. “Now what?” (The podcast has since removed its latest West episode, and host N.O.R.E. has apologized for posting the interview, but bootleg versions have been uploaded to YouTube.)

Other groups including Campaign Against Antisemitism joined the ADL in publicly urging Adidas to drop West, who on his podcast appearance also referenced previous antisemitism controversies involving other Black celebrities like Ice Cube and Nick Cannon (both of whom apologized after saying or tweeting antisemitic statements).

Adidas, whose partnership with West brought the company a reported $2 billion in revenue last year accounting for 10% of its total revenue, has kept its plans close to the vest. The company announced Oct. 6 its partnership with the rapper was “under review,” after what it characterized as “repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation,” but it has not publicly commented on West since then.

The sportswear company was founded in Germany by members of the Nazi Party and turned its shoe factories into Nazi munitions factories during WWII — but had also outfitted legendary Black U.S. runner Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic games held in Nazi Germany, and Allied goodwill for this connection helped Adidas enter the U.S. market after the war. (Adidas’ own company history glosses over its pre-1949 era.) Last year, the company made a haredi Orthodox Israeli marathon runner the face of a new campaign.

On Twitter, Greenblatt criticized Adidas for dragging its feet on West while having swiftly ended its partnership with French soccer player Kurt Zouma earlier this year after video evidence emerged of Zouma abusing his cats.

Since his outbursts, West has further announced his intent to buy far-right social media site Parler, which has a history of playing host to antisemitism. LeBron James’ HBO talk show “The Shop” also elected not to air an episode West had appeared on, with producers saying he had spouted more hate speech in the interview.

While some conservatives including Meghan McCain and Ben Shapiro have denounced West’s comments, others have proven to be friendlier audiences, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who edited comments West made about Jews out of a recent interview with him.

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sloggervlogger · 8 months

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youtube

Introducing The Gorilla Troop From The Krefeld Zoo In Germany (more info in the description) by SloggerVlogger Meet the Gorillas from the Krefeld Zoo in Germany! A new troop to the channel. Putting a name to their faces in this introduction video. The new Thursday series. There will be another four videos and then another Gorilla troop that I haven't filmed will follow this series. The troop of seven gorillas live in the area called the Gorilla Garden. Meet Silverback Gorilla Kidogo, Gorilla Oya, Muna and son Santu. Gorilla Miliki and sons Pepe, Bobóto. Kidogo was born on November 15th 2000 at the Givskud Zoo in Denmark. Gorilla Oya was born on June 9th 1988 at the Zoo Zürich Switzerland. Gorilla Muna was born on March 6th 1989 at the Zoo Basel Switzerland. Her son Santu was born on July 14th 2021. Miliki was born on February 20th 2006 at La Vallée des Singes in France. Her son Pepe was born on May 6th 2015 and Bobóto on December 21st 2018. Both were born at Krefeld Zoo in Germany. @feliciacraite Guessed correctly on my community page who the Silverback is. 😁 Filmed through a tire, little Satu is watching Dad Kidogo. Mother Muna is coming up right behind Dad and after her son glances up at her, she picks him up and they have some lunch. Gorilla Oya is next up, the first thing you notice is her stiff finger. Quite a common injury in Gorillas it seems. Kera in Bristol and the little Aaarde at Chessington Zoo have the same injuries. Oya enjoys the bark of a stick and later a German turnip (Kohlrabi). Miliki has her food stuck in her teeth and she's trying to get it out. Pepe is munching on his food. He kind of reminds me a bit of a younger Lope. Last but not least Gorilla youngster Bobóto. As it was just a brief visit I didn't get the chance to film too much of the troop. When I was there, the outside had been shut off and they were building the new outdoor habitat for the great apes. I was a bit too early as they are planning to open the new habitat on Gorilla Day on the 24th of September 2023. You can have a quick look at the outside on my other channel, the travel channel in a hyper-lapse walkthrough of the zoo at: https://youtu.be/SVG-9jLGDkE #KrefeldZoo #Gorillas #Introduction You might have heard about the Krefeld Zoo in the news when they had the awful tragedy on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2019. A fire broke out due to Chinese lanterns and 30 animals lost their lives including Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Orangutans, silvery marmosets, white-faced sakis endangered golden-lion tamarins, fruit bats, reptiles and birds. A horrendously sad day that many of us never forget. The firefighters managed to prevent the flames from spreading from the ape house to the Gorilla garden. This is where Silverback Kidogo had his troop of seven are housed. Tambo (Muna's first son) moved in September 2020 to Zoo Safari de Thoiry. via YouTube https://youtu.be/JkoPGrBXpJo

#IFTTT #YouTube #animals #Youtube

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eurovisionsocialnewswire · 9 months

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GERMANY: Twin pandas celebrate fourth birthday with cake at Berlin Zoo [MUTE]

A set of twin pandas have celebrated their fourth birthday with a cake at the zoo where they were born in Berlin, Germany. Pit and Paule made history in 2019 as the first giant pandas to be born in Germany. They are also known by their Chinese names, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan. To celebrate their fourth birthday last Thursday, staff at the zoo presented the pair with a cake made of snow and fruit.…

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umseb · 3 years

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Navigating This Blog:

Firstly, please remember that my tagging system is for my use. I'm very happy when my blogs help people find stuff! But their first function is to help me find stuff. <3 1. If you’re looking for a specific race, the tag format is [location] [year]. For example, #hungary 2016 or #usa 2019. -> Azerbaijan is listed as Baku. -> Countries with multiple races will be tagged as both the country and track (for example, Spain and Valencia/Jerez/Barcelona, Germany and Hockenheim/Nurburg). -> European GP content is tagged as both European and the name of the track, either Valencia or Baku. -> Where possible, days are also tagged. So, for example, #monaco 2019 thursday. 2. If you’re looking for just a specific year, the format is either #flashback fic ref [year] or #fic ref [year]. #flashback fic ref is any year before 2021. #fic ref is for 2021 onward. 3. If you’re looking for just a specific track, that’s tagged too! Just search the country. 4. On a quest for other racing-related content but not from F1 race weekends, you say? -> Pre-season and post-season tags! For example, #pre-season 2012 or #post-season 2009. -> Testing, specifically, is also tagged! The format is testing [year], like #testing 2018. -> Race of Champions? Goes by year, and is listed under both “roc” and “race of champions”. For example, #roc 2008 or #race of champions 2011. 5. Things he does in his capacity as an F1 driver, but not strictly racing-related? -> The FIA gala is listed under both “fia gala” and “fia prize giving”. Examples: #fia gala 2018 or #fia prize giving 2011. -> Autosport Awards / Laureus World Sports Awards / German Sportspersonality of the Year -> Charity soccer games: Partita del Cuore / Kick Fur Kinder / Champions For Charity 6. And, of course, non-racing-related content: -> The format is [year] not a race. For example, #2007 not a race. -> If you’d like a specific time period during a season, it’s separated by what races it fell between. For example, #between japan and usa 2018. -> Summer break 2022! 7. Feeder series! -> Formula BMW ADAC (all) / Formula BMW ADAC 2003 / Formula BMW ADAC 2004 -> Formula 3 (all) / Formula 3 2005 / Formula 3 2006 -> Formula Renault 3.5 8. All under-18 content is tagged as #childhood photos. 9. Relationships (not taking requests to add to this): -> Sewis -> Smick / With Mick (underage) -> George Russell -> Michael Schumacher 10. Important! On the website version of Tumblr, you can combine search items. This is immensely helpful for finding specific things! -> So, for example, if you open search and type in "hungary 2022, smick" it’ll only pull up Smick content from the Hungarian GP. :) -> Or “flashback fic ref 2011, autosport awards” -> Or “testing 2013, jerez” 11. Trigger tags I commonly use: * These are either for my use or by request and are not up for discussion or debate. If you need something added, please drop me a dm or ask to let me know. 💚 -> #tw max (verstappen) -> #tw transphobe (webber) -> #tw nico (rosberg) -> #tw kimi (raikkonen) -> #tw bernie ecclestone -> #tw helmut marko -> #tw christian horner -> #tw dietrich mateschitz -> #tw crash -> #tw death -> #tw body perception -> #tw food / #cw food This is a pretty exhaustive list, but if you need help or are confused, feel free to contact me! <3

#navigation #personal

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feckcops · 1 year

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Students occupy schools and universities across Europe in climate protest

“In Germany, universities were occupied in Wolfenbüttel, Magdeburg, Münster, Bielefeld, Regensburg, Bremen and Berlin. In Spain, students in occupation at the Autonomous University of Barcelona organised teach-outs on the climate crisis. In Belgium, 40 students occupied the University of Ghent. In the Czech Republic, about 100 students camped outside the ministry of trade and industry. In the UK occupations were under way at the universities of Leeds, Exeter and Falmouth.

“The most radical actions were taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, where youngsters occupied seven schools and two universities. On Thursday, occupying pupils forced one high school to remain closed for a third day, while students at the University of Lisbon’s faculty of humanities barricaded themselves in the dean’s office.

“Young people also stopped traffic in the Portuguese capital with street blockades in solidarity with the occupations. The radical action comes despite harsh responses from teachers at one school who called police to evict pupils who began occupations last week ...

“A statement by the campaign read: ‘End Fossil: Occupy! is radicalising the youth climate movement in tactics and demands. Occupations instead of strikes. End the fossil economy instead of listen to the science. End Fossil: Occupy! is reigniting the fire of the youth climate movement last seen in 2019.’”

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somuchyoudontknow · 11 months

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Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval & Brahim Chioua Talk New Era As They Move On From The Company’s Iconic Name: “I’ve Been Through My Period Of Mourning” — Deadline Q&A

January 13, 2023

At a party in Paris on Thursday evening, original Wild Bunch co-founders Vincent Maraval and Brahim Chioua bid farewell to the legendary company name they created in 2002.

The move cements the separation of their assets from the pan-European Wild Bunch AG film group, which was created in 2015 out of the merger of their original French company Wild Bunch and Germany’s Senator Film and is now majority-owned by German entrepreneur Lars Windhorst.

This means Wild Bunch AG no longer owns its 20% stake in the independent standalone international sales company Maraval and Chioua and their 15-strong team launched in 2019 under the banner of Wild Bunch International (WBI).

The company is now been majority owned by Maraval and Chioua and its staff, with CAA also holding a 20% stake.

WBI has continued to dominate at major markets and festivals, handling sales on established A-list festival regulars.

The company also launched boutique feature animation-focused sales label Gebeka International in partnership with French animation specialist Gebeka, while Maraval also continues to work with Kim Fox at Santa Monica-based sales company The Veterans, in which WBI has a 50% stake alongside MadRiver Pictures.

Maraval and Chioua have also steered the company towards development and production with the creation of Wild West, a joint venture with film company Capricci aimed at developing and producing genre fare, as well as Le Collectif 64 with the producer Marc Dujardin.

Outside the company umbrella, Maraval, Chioua and Noëmie Devide launched the indie production label Getaway Films in 2019, which has since produced Alexandra Aja’s Netflix Original Oxygen as well as Michel Hazanavicius’s Cannes 2022 opener Final Cut and Dario Argento’s comeback melo-horror Dark Glasses.

Source: https://deadline.com/2023/01/wild-bunch-vincent-maraval-brahim-chioua-new-company-name-1235220893/

Wild Bunch International Reveals New Name – Does It Amuse You?

March 29, 2023

Wild Bunch International, which bid farewell to its legendary company moniker at a bash in Paris in January, has announced its new name.

Taking inspiration from Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-nominated 1990 hit, the international sales company has been renamed as Goodfellas.

Source: https://deadline.com/2023/03/wild-bunch-international-renamed-goodfellas-1235312571/

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Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval Talks Cannes, Venice, Netflix & Industry Opportunities — San Sebastian

September 19, 2022

The topic of streaming loomed large over the first session of San Sebastian’s new Creative Investors’ Conference featuring a keynote by Wild Bunch co-founder Vincent Maraval.

During the lengthy and wide-ranging session, Maraval was joined by CAA Media Finance’s Roeg Sutherland who asked him the extent to which he deals with Netflix, to which he responded: “Of course, I will deal with Netflix.”

Wild Bunch previously struck a lucrative deal with the streamer on a Studio Ghibli catalogue and has also reportedly sold new Johnny Depp film Jeanne Du Barry to the company for France.

“I think it is our chance,” Maraval said of the streamer. “And I think the chance of Netflix is cinema. If Netflix wants to survive against better-capitalized companies like Amazon and Apple their chance is through cinema.”

Maraval later added that he is very “positive” about the streamer and the only reservation he has about working with them is that his first directive for any film he handles is that it is released theatrically.

Maraval’s comments on streamers and theatrical distribution quickly prompted Sutherland to press him for his opinion on the challenged relationship between the Cannes Film Festival and Netflix. Maraval’s Wild Bunch has long enjoyed a large presence at the festival. This year, the company screened 12 films across the festival’s sections. Netflix films, however, haven’t played in the Cannes Official Selection since 2017.

Cannes’ approach to Netflix wasn’t the only issue Maraval identified in the international festival market. Later in the session, Maraval highlighted what he described as an equally challenging issue with the way the Venice Film Festival has embraced Netflix.

“I think Venice is doing the total opposite mistake, which is that the four first days of Venice look like the Netflix film festival,” he said. “Ted Sarandos is on the red carpet welcoming people. And I think Venice sold its soul to Netflix. But I think refusing films because they are not going out theatrically is a mistake. I think someone who selects movies should focus on the quality of the film.”

Source: https://deadline.com/2022/09/vincent-maraval-cannes-venice-netflix-san-sebastian-1235121916/

Wild Bunch International’s Vincent Maraval on Taking a Bet on Johnny Depp, the Need to Take Risks

Backing a film in which Johnny Depp will play French King Louis XV is what Wild Bunch International head Vincent Maraval describes as part of the risk taking that is essential to this business.

In a keynote interview with CAA Media Finance’s Roeg Sutherland at San Sebastian’s first Creative Investors Conference on Monday, Maraval discussed his 23 years in the business – failing to bet on “Black Swan,” but going for it with Depp’s first film since the Amber Heard trial.

Netflix is releasing this French-language production on SVOD, after a theatrical release in France. Wild Bunch is handling international sales.

Maraval said during the keynote that his “Jeanne du Barry” partner Netflix was positive for the business.

“Netflix is a real force for us,” he said. “Of course I work with them, and I think their chance to survive is cinema. The studios controlled 90% of the market. For the first time in history, there is an independent company that has control. We know it won’t last, and that it will be a parenthesis in history that the independents controlled the business. People complain about them but I think it’s our chance.”

He added: “We need to be able to take advantage of the streaming business to get stronger. I think that cinema distribution will survive for sure but it will be different.”

Source: https://variety.com/2022/film/festivals/vincent-maraval-roeg-sutherland-san-sebastian-1235377301/

Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval On The “Huge Growth Potential” Of The Saudi Film Market And Its Similarities With China

December 5, 2022

Wild Bunch co-founder Vincent Maraval drew comparisons between the burgeoning film industry in Saudi Arabia with that of China during a business-focused keynote at the Red Sea film festival this morning.

“When I started working, like, 25-30 years ago, the Middle East was basically Lebanon,” he said. “Today that has all changed. The growth of the region in terms of box office, streamers, and Netflix is coming, but most of the streamers will come. What happened in Saudi Arabia in the last five years is on a scale very comparable to the growth rate of Chinese exportation.”

He added that there is “huge growth potential” to be had in Saudi Arabia as well as the whole MENA region, but industry professionals must establish a greater understanding of audience consumption and taste in the region now and in the future.

“There is also a huge potential not only here, but it will probably be the same in Africa too,” he said. “We can see there’s a middle class in Africa coming and subscribing to streaming services and going to the cinema. They are building theaters.”

Source: https://deadline.com/2022/12/wild-bunchs-vincent-maraval-on-the-huge-growth-potential-of-the-saudi-film-market-1235189268/

"The cinema market is all about exceptions", according to Vincent Maraval

12/01/2023 - The head of Wild Bunch International sheds light on the current state of affairs at the Unifrance Film Meetings in Paris

"On the American market, when it comes to the independent film sector, the traditional model has been replaced by the streaming model. Independent film has disappeared from cinemas. The American market is still more reliant on blockbusters. But studios are beginning to return to cinema releases, as Warner has done with one-to-two-month cinema windows. Broadly speaking, I think that’s the right kind of chronology for today’s world. As for the fabric of independent American producers, I believe it’s disappeared, because when you’re producing for platforms you’re not really independent anymore. Moreover, many of them have opted for series, which has left a hole. Foreign cinema, meanwhile, is hardly ever released in American cinemas now, unless for advertising purposes before dropping on platforms."

"That said, there does tend to be a pendulum effect, in the long term: we saw the rapid expansion of Miramax, for example, and the studios’ subsidiaries disappearing, etc. But it only took The King’s Speech [+] for all this to be reversed, because it’s always the exceptions which dictate trends and the market. Nevertheless, it’s possible that a certain type of viewer – sophisticated, well-off – has left cinemas behind because they’ve developed new habits. But, more generally speaking, I don’t believe the American market, which has been the focal point for film exports for a long time, is the market to watch anymore."

Source: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/436632/

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Thank you so much dear friend for providing all this valuable information that you have searched 😊💙❤ You have been a great help 🤗

Okay so for all the followers and friends on my blog, we have some new information about Wild Bunch International.

Wild Bunch AG is a pan-European Intl film distribution company. In Nov 2021, Ron Meyer (CAA co-founder) was named CEO of WB AG.

Wild Bunch Intl now named Goodfellas is a renowned sales and production company. It has a record of movies that have been featured at International film festivals. They have been dominating major markets and festivals. It has a history of having relationships with world-renowned directors. WBI boarded sales of Amelia’s Children and other European films, revealed in Feb 2023.

WBI departed from WB AG in January 2023 and then revealed its new name in March 2023. Vincent Maraval and Brahim Chioua are the co founders of WBI.

WB AG does not hold 20% stakes in Goodfellas. It is now owned by Maraval and Brahim. CAA holds 20% stakes in Goodfellas.

The first context talks about the above mentioned points as well Maraval and Chioua’ launching of Wild West and Getaway Films and the movies that have been produced under them.

Second part of the info is about current new film markets and Goodfellas partnership with CAA and Netflix.

WBI is responsible of selling Johnny Depp’s Jeanne Du Barry to Netflix France and Netflix USA. Depp.

Maraval’s WBI has long enjoyed its presence at Cannes Film Festival.

New developing markets with huge growth potential are MENA region and Africa.

The American market has changed and the traditional model has been replaced by the streaming model. Independent films have disappeared from cinema except for blockbusters.

#chris evans pr #chris-evans #alba-baptista #CAA #WBI

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beardedmrbean · 2 months

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The future of the French international women’s cricket team is in doubt after 17 players called for an investigation into allegations that its governing body staged fake matches to secure funding from the International Cricket Council. With cricket set to become an Olympic sport after the 2024 Paris Games, FRANCE 24 looked at the reasons behind the team's collapse.

Tara Britton turned up to training, held every Thursday for the men’s and women’s French national cricket teams, last November 16 as scheduled. It wasn’t a big turnout for the women’s side, as she was one of only two who showed.

A day earlier, she had joined 16 of her national side teammates in signing an open letter calling for an official investigation into France Cricket following allegations published by FRANCE 24 in November, including that the governing body was staging fake women’s matches to access more funding from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“If the allegations are true, we condemn the actions as outrageous and, as players of the national Women’s team, we wish to strongly and firmly dissociate ourselves from the behaviour and actions of France Cricket,” the letter read.

France Cricket’s sporting director Saravana Durairaj arrived at the track in the 15th arrondissement (district) of Paris as they finished their session, Britton recounted.

Durairaj, who was recently made CEO of the association, had coached the women through the highs and lows of international tournaments since 2019. Their greatest success: promotion to Division One of the ICC 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier, beating Sweden, Turkey, Jersey and Germany along the way.

That was the pinnacle of French women’s cricket, which has now arrived at its nadir.

“He told us, ‘You’re not welcome anymore’ – that we’re suspended,” said Britton, a wicket-keeper and right-handed batter who has played 29 matches for France. “He was visibly quite angry. He wouldn't let us say anything, wouldn’t let us explain our side. He was basically saying he was disappointed in us. He felt let down that – after all the time and effort he put into us – that we have treated him like this.”

It is against France Cricket rules for national team players to criticise the governing body publicly at risk of being “excluded from the French national team”, reads a code of conduct signed by players.

“We dared to say that we knew there were some problems within the federation,” said Lara Armas, a left-handed batter who, like Britton, debuted in 2021. “Can you really say that that is criticism? It’s factual.”

From 2019 to 2023, Armas was on France Cricket’s committee and was appointed head of their commission for the women’s game.

“We didn’t accuse anyone in particular. We didn’t name anyone, we simply asked for clarifications,” said Magali Marchello-Nizia, a right-arm bowler who made her debut in 2019.

The team made France Cricket aware they were going to publish the letter before they did so. “Some of us were even pressured by France Cricket not to publish anything. You could even qualify some of these as threats,” said Alix Brodin, a left-handed batter who debuted after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Asked what exactly was threatened, Armas recalled that Durairaj told one of the players, “If you do that, I can’t protect you anymore.”

Contacted by FRANCE 24, Durairaj said that a decision about the women’s team would be published in May. He did not respond to more detailed allegations.

‘No communication’

Without any further communication from their governing body, players were removed from WhatsApp groups involving them. On November 19, they found out – via social media – that they would no longer be participating in the inaugural Women’s European Cricket Championship, scheduled to begin less than a month later on December 17.

The organisers, the European Cricket Network (ECN), announced that a team from England would be replacing France at the tournament in Malaga involving the national sides of Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria.

“In a recent development, the French Cricket Federation, Association Française de Cricket, has unfortunately withdrawn their team’s participation,” read a press release. ECN declined to comment further.

“I’ve received no email, no communication from France Cricket explaining anything at all,” said Brodin.

Word spread in January that the women could only apply to be part of the national team this year if they apologised.

“We’ve done nothing wrong,” said Armas. “I’m not apologising for saying, ‘There’s an investigation going on, I want the truth’.”

To this day, the only written communication the women’s national team has received from France Cricket was an email sent on March 1 asking each of them to return their uniforms “for logistical reasons”.

Shut up and play cricket

FRANCE 24’s investigation last November raised questions over whether France was eligible to participate in ICC tournaments as it has done since 2021, given the difficulty of proving that the country has the requisite minimum of eight domestic women’s teams “competing in a minimum of five hard-ball matches for the previous two years”, as per ICC rules.

Players acknowledged having their suspicions.

“It’s always the same three or four clubs that provide women’s national team players,” said Brodin. “We know very well that what’s been written is true, we just never went looking for proof.”

Several said their decision to take part regardless came down to the lack of other opportunities to play cricket. Even for the women’s first division, for instance, only three match days were organised last season.

“The dilemma we’re faced with is absolutely unjust,” said all-rounder Poppy McGeown, who played 27 matches for France. “In France there are very few opportunities to play … either you shut your mouth and play cricket, or you decide to take a more ethical approach and speak up to condemn things that you find unfair or illegal, and that comes with being kicked out of the team.”

“You have to choose between the sport you love and the values you hold dear. So for two years I closed my eyes, and I’m not particularly proud of it,” she said.

Armas said she also turned a blind eye.

“I was egotistical,” she said. “I wanted to play, so yes, I did close my eyes on some things. I have to say thank you to all those girls who didn’t.”

More evidence of ‘ghost matches’

The women’s first- and second-division tournaments have disappeared from France Cricket’s plans for this year, replaced by a “France Women’s Cup” featuring 10 teams due to kick off this Saturday, April 13.

Out of the four first-division teams from last year, only Lille Cricket Club and Paris Université Club are slated to participate, with Nantes Cricket Club not renewing its affiliation with France Cricket in the wake of the scandal and Lisses Cricket Club planning to do the same for its women’s team.

The other eight clubs include seven from last year’s Division Two, which was the subject of November’s FRANCE 24 report.

Since its publication, more evidence of irregularities in this division has come to light.

On April 16, six Division Two matches were scheduled to take place on Chantilly cricket ground. All six were subsequently rubber-stamped as having taken place by France Cricket’s sporting commission.

Edward Hoyle, captain of Chantilly Cricket Club, said he arrived just before 2pm to renovate the wicket, only to be told a women’s match was about to start.

“That match did take place, but it was all over in 20 minutes. That’s 10 minutes an innings,” recalled Hoyle. “Whether that constitutes a match or not, I don’t know.”

Once the short match was over, Hoyle proceeded to strip and relay the wicket, a process that took several hours.

It is clear that the fourth, fifth and sixth matches did not happen at the time and place for which they were certified.

In its response to FRANCE 24’s November report on women’s ghost matches, France Cricket said “the results shown on its website are those communicated via the match reports handed in by the umpires at the end of each match”.

The chair of one of the clubs that was responsible for umpiring on April 16 denied his club was involved in matches that did not actually take place. He said he had delegated responsibility for the women’s team to the club captain and wasn’t aware of specific events that day.

When asked how his club planned to field a women's team this year, he acknowledged it would be a challenge. “We have women’s teams, but they’re students – you have to organise it during school holidays. It’s a bit difficult.”

France Cricket did not respond to a request for comment.

On November 16, Nantes Cricket Club sent a request to state prosecutors and police asking for an investigation into alleged fraudulent activity by the association.

In April 2022, the Versailles public prosecutor dismissed defamation charges brought by France Cricket against Hoyle, which he said were brought after he wrote a letter to clubs criticising the organisation.

“The ICC has investigated the allegations in relation to France Cricket and are satisfied that the issue is now closed,” a spokesperson for the sport's global administrator told Alison Mitchell of the BBC’s "Stumped" podcast. “Each Member is wholly responsible for the participation data that is submitted per the census and accuracy of these records remains of utmost importance and are audited by the ICC.”

From New Caledonia with cricketers

During a meeting with the France Cricket board while she was head of the women’s commission, Armas recalled pushing for a recognition of the reality on the ground. “Come on, among us we can admit it,” she said. “There are only four women’s teams in cricket. We know there are only four teams in Division One, and Division Two is fake.”

In response, she recalled, “I was almost insulted. Like, ‘How can you say this?’ I got shut down badly.”

She also remembered conversations with Durairaj in which he shared his conviction that the way to develop women’s cricket in France was not via domestic competitions, but “to have a strong national team”.

But now, France Cricket must assemble an entirely new one – notably ahead of another ECN tournament in December to which France has been invited, according to one source, but not confirmed by ECN.

The governing body emailed clubs on January 16 asking for candidates for both national teams, but none of the previous women’s squad who spoke to FRANCE 24 have put their names forward.

One avenue that France Cricket is exploring to bolster its women’s team lies far from the French mainland, in New Caledonia. A traditional form of cricket, played mostly by indigenous Kanak women, has been popular in the French overseas territory since the sport was introduced by English missionaries.

France Cricket chairman Prebagarane Balane visited the southwest Pacific islands in March, accompanied by Durairaj, where he signed an agreement with New Caledonia’s sports minister Mickaël Forrest and cricket committee head Jean-Marc Ihily. The deal obliges the committee to register all of its players with France Cricket by August 31, which could add some 3,000 to the 1,800 players that the association currently claims are on its books.

It also grants France Cricket the right to call up players in New Caledonia for the French national team, but not if they play the non-standard form of the game.

On March 30, at France Cricket’s annual general meeting at their office in Saint-Maurice near Paris, Balane was joined by Ihily in person to announce plans for a women’s tournament in Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, this September. Balane stressed the importance of recruitment ahead of the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup in India.

Marchello-Nizia said that two years ago, Durairaj told her about looking to New Caledonia for potential women’s national team players. “Things might have accelerated, given recent developments,” she said.

Death of a national team?

Asked if the current national team was dead, Britton was equivocal. “The team obviously doesn't stop with us. But as far as the players are concerned, I feel like we've been asked not to come back.”

McGeown lamented the state of French cricket. “When you have the honour and pride of playing for your country, no matter what the sport, it’s a huge motivator. And now we’ve lost it because we’re not ready to play as part of this system.”

#nunyas news

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newstfionline · 1 year

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Sunday, February 19, 2023

Protecting children from mass murder has become a $3 billion industry (NYT) The school year was starting in 10 days, and Donald Keegan was a busy man. An associate superintendent of the North Syracuse Central School District, Mr. Keegan had to make sure the bus drivers were trained and the cafeterias fully staffed. He had a tour to lead that afternoon and a school board meeting in the evening. But that late August morning, Mr. Keegan took time to attend a demonstration inside a local factory, where he observed a series of windows being obliterated by an AR-15-style rifle. Of all the troubling aspects of gun violence, among the most dispiriting may be that preparing school administrators for a mass shooting is becoming routine. Rising gun violence, punctuated by massacres like the attack at the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas last year and the shooting on Michigan State University’s campus this week, is fueling not only the debate over gun control but also a more than $3 billion industry of companies working to protect children or employees against mass murder. The offerings are numerous: automatically locking doors, bullet-resistant tables, Kevlar backpacks, artificial intelligence that detects guns and countless types of training exercises, like breathing techniques to avoid panic during an attack.

Bias in higher education (NYT) Higher education faculty is predominantly liberal. On this point, there is not much debate among experts. About 60 percent of undergraduate teaching faculty identify as liberal or far left, compared with about 12 percent who identify as conservative or far right. The gap has grown over the past few decades. Professors’ left-wing bias most likely leads to some self-censorship by students and faculty and limits political discussions on campuses. There is a harm to progressive students too, said Amy Binder, a sociologist at the University of California, San Diego. In her research, conservative students told her that they were constantly challenged by liberal teachers and students, helping them sharpen their abilities to think about opposing ideas and debate them. Progressive students generally get less of that experience. The public appears to agree that bias is a problem: A majority have said that campus politics lean toward one direction and that there’s too much concern about protecting students from views they might find offensive, a 2019 Pew Research Center poll found.

Russian birth tourism (Foreign Policy) Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February and the country’s subsequent international isolation, thousands of pregnant Russian women have quietly traveled to Argentina to give birth. Russians can enter Argentina without a visa; any child born on Argentine soil has the right to Argentine citizenship and fast-tracks the path to citizenship for parents, too. An Argentine passport allows for visa-free travel to more than twice as many countries as a Russian passport, El País reported.

Portugal ends Golden Visas, curtails Airbnb rentals to address housing crisis (Reuters) Portugal announced on Thursday a hefty package of measures to tackle a housing crisis, including the end of its controversial “Golden Visa” scheme and a ban on new licenses for Airbnbs and other short-term holiday rentals. Rents and house prices have skyrocketed in Portugal, which is among the poorest countries in Western Europe. Last year, more than 50% of workers earned less than 1,000 euros per month while in Lisbon alone, rents jumped 37% in 2022. Low salaries, a red-hot property market, policies encouraging wealthy foreigners to invest and a tourism-dependent economy have for years made it hard for locals to rent or buy, housing groups have said. Portugal’s 8.3% inflation rate has exacerbated the problem.

A Russian Mole in Germany Sows Suspicions at Home, and Beyond (NYT) A few days before Christmas, a convoy of security vehicles invaded a quiet corner of Weilheim, a quaint Bavarian town of pastel squares and fastidiously kept cobblestone streets. Their target seemed as unassuming as the setting: a local children’s soccer coach. Nothing ever stood out about the man—until he was arrested on charges of treason and spying for Russia in one of the gravest espionage scandals in recent German history. The coach, a 52-year-old former German soldier, worked for Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, or B.N.D., as a director of technical reconnaissance—the unit responsible for cybersecurity and surveilling electronic communications. It contributes about half of the spy agency’s daily intelligence volume. The arrest came shortly after a flurry of raids across Europe that uncovered so-called illegals, or secret Russian agents, in the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. The German authorities are still trying to determine what damage their mole may have done. But the discovery of a double agent has rattled German political circles.

Ukraine war spurs European demand for U.S. arms, but not big-ticket items (Reuters) European demand for U.S. weaponry is soaring, but instead of big-ticket items like jets and tanks, shopping lists are focused on cheaper, less-sophisticated items such as shoulder-fired missiles, artillery, and drones that have proven critical to Ukraine’s war efforts. Countries close to Russia like Poland, Finland and Germany are striking deals to build U.S. weapons in Europe, negotiating new deals to buy arms and looking to speed up existing contracts, according to interviews with military officials and industry executives. Demand is centered around basic weapons and munitions: 155-millimeter artillery rounds, air defenses, communications equipment, shoulder-fired Javelin missiles and drones. The focus on high-volume, less costly weapons underscores how the war in Ukraine has reshaped strategic thinking in European capitals about how future conflicts could be fought.

Earthquakes Weigh on Turkey’s Already Struggling Economy (WSJ) The earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria last week are heaping new stresses on the Turkish economy. The quakes cut a path of destruction through a core industrial region around the cities of Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, killed more than 38,000 people in Turkey and caused an estimated $84 billion in losses, the equivalent of about 10% of Turkey’s entire economy in 2022, according to a report from the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation. The disaster has deepened the economic turmoil in a country that is already reeling from a cost of living crisis.

Facing anger after quakes, Syrians in Turkey wonder again: Where do we go? (Washington Post) As Turkish rescue teams combed slowly through a gray mountain of broken concrete Wednesday night, a group of Syrians looked on, arms crossed, faces set in hard expressions. Back in Syria, where such scenes are common after more than a decade of war, rescuers usually dive right in, without proper equipment, often at great personal risk. “They would’ve cleared it in two days,” muttered one young man. His relatives grunted in agreement, huddled over an open fire as they waited to learn the fate of their missing family members. Many Syrians in the ravaged Turkish city of Kahramanmaras have already lived through years of aerial bombardment and untold loss. But even for them, the scale of the destruction after the Feb. 6 earthquakes is impossible to process. The temblors leveled whole apartment complexes and killed more than 43,000 people. Already displaced from their country, already accustomed to discrimination in Turkey, Syrians now face new trauma and insecurity, and are left to wrestle with a painfully familiar question: Where to now? Turkey is home to at least 4 million refugees and asylum seekers from Syria who have fled conflict, hardship and government repression, and many of them are concentrated across the southern quake zone. Anti-Syrian sentiment has flared time and again over the years, fanned by nativist politicians who see their former neighbors as convenient scapegoats for Turkey’s problems, including its recent economic downturn. Now, Syrians are blamed for taking up scarce resources at a time of national tragedy.

Israeli law to strip Arabs convicted of terrorism of citizenship (Foreign Policy) Israel passed legislation that would strip Arab citizens or residents of their citizenship or residency if they are convicted of terrorism and have received financial help from the Palestinian Authority. Palestinians say the money is assistance for families with people in prison; Israel says that the stipends encourage violence. The law also allows Israel to deport these individuals to Gaza or the West Bank. Ahmad Tibi, leader of the Ta’al party, an Arab party, noted that the law did not apply to Israel’s Jewish citizens, noting, “An Arab who commits an offense is a conditional citizen. If a Jew commits the same offense or a more serious one, they don’t even think of revoking his citizenship.”

Nigerian cash crisis brings pain (AP) No one in Godgift Inemesit’s family of eight is sure when they will eat each day—except for her three kids, two of whom have malaria. She can’t pay for the drugs they need or feed the rest of her family regularly. Like most Nigerians, the family’s savings are trapped in the bank. A changeover to redesigned currency has plunged Africa’s largest economy into crisis just ahead of a presidential election: There aren’t enough new banknotes in a country reliant on cash. For Inemesit, 28, the shortage of cash means even basics like food and medicine are getting trimmed for her husband, mother, kids ages 4 to 8 and two other relatives. One recent afternoon, only the children had gotten bread and hot drinks. Customers are waiting all day at banks and ATMs to withdraw only enough money—called naira—to last a day. Fights have broken out in bank halls, angry customers have attacked workers and protesters have set financial institutions on fire. Businesses unable carry out transactions have been forced to close, and people are illegally selling new currency notes at higher rates.

An Undercover Investigation Of Underground Operatives (Guardian) According to an exposé by The Guardian and journalists from 30 other news outlets, a shadowy team of Israeli contractors is meddling in elections around the world, including in Nigeria. The organization is run by Tal Hanan, an Israeli special forces operative who goes by the name “Jorge,” and has supposedly interfered with “33 presidential-level campaigns” over the last two decades. Three reporters from the joint project went undercover, posing as prospective clients for “Team Jorge.” They recorded six hours of footage from meetings with the team, learning more about the services offered by the shadowy organization. Their services include the deployment of an automated network of fake social media profiles used to distribute disinformation, a “blogger machine” used to push even more fake news, and hacking services for supposedly secure platforms, including Telegram and Gmail. Team Jorge has also staged fake protests outside corporate headquarters, harassed African politicians on election day by bombarding their personal phones with calls, and meddled in the real lives of political candidates by using Amazon to send a sex toy to a candidate’s house to make his wife think he was cheating. “To be clear,” said Jorge after the report was released, “I deny any wrongdoing.”

The Great TikTok Awakening? (NBC News) TikTok has been used to share viral dances, songs, and memes (and also surveil its users), but now it’s gained another function—spreading religion. Asbury University, a small Christian college in Kentucky, has begun growing its flock of believers through TikTok, with #asburyrevival garnering almost 40 million views on the platform so far. Asbury is now home to a prayer gathering that’s been in session for eight full days, running 24 hours around the clock. The gathering initially began as an informal prayer session after a routine morning service on February 8, but a short livestream and participants’ TikToks of the event have turned the intimate prayer group into a nationwide sensation, prompting worshippers from across the country to head to Kentucky to participate. Footage of the event shows an atmosphere a little less radical than the word “revival” would suggest. But while the vibe isn’t close to that of historical Great Awakenings, Asbury’s revival has sparked similar small nonstop prayer gatherings in schools across the country.

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