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Facelifting the A-Class is a huge deal for Mercedes, because even though it’s the smallest and cheapest model in its line-up, it’s also the most po[CENSORED]r car from the German brand here in the UK. The Mercedes A-Class was Britain’s fourth best-selling car in 2021 but has dropped out of the top 10 so far this year. Hoping to reinvigorate sales, Mercedes has given the A-Class plenty of tweaks inside and out to freshen it up for 2022 and beyond. As suggested by previous spy shots, the exterior of the A-Class has been given a mild revision in both saloon and hatchback form. The front bumper gets a slightly different lower grille opening and the main grille itself has been reshaped - although the quintessential larger three-pointed star badge is still there. The bonnet gains two bulges for some added aggression. Around the side you’ll find a new selection of alloy wheels up to 19 inches in size, and to the rear there’s a new diffuser and brake light unit. The new A-Class will once again rival the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series in the premium hatchback market and a key battleground will be interior technology. The outgoing model featured a seven-inch screen and 10.25-inch display as standard, with a pair of 10.25-inch displays available as an option. Mercedes has retained this line-up for the facelifted model. What has changed is the infotainment system itself, because the car gets latest generation of MBUX. The display style can be changed between “Classic”, showing the usual relevant driver information, “Sporty” with a more pronounced rev counter and “Discreet’ for less information on show overall. Extra equipment, such as an additional USB-C port and a fingerprint sensor, is also available and as you’d expect, there’s smartphone compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Wireless. The MBUX upgrade also means the voice assistance is “even more capable of dialogue and learning”, claims Mercedes. There’s a boost in safety tech, with a new “Driver Assistance Package” adding lane-keep assist and active steering control. The new A-Class now features a “Parking Package” which supports bay parking and offers a 360-degree camera to help with parking using 3D images. Mercedes has given the facelifted A-Class some new powertrain options as well. Every petrol engine is now electrified, with a seven-speed or eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard. The new mild-hybrid system includes a 48V motor which Mercedes says “supports agility when starting off with an extra 13bhp”. Kicking off the range is the A 180 with 134bhp and 230Nm of torque from its mild-hybrid, 1.3-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. Acceleration stands at 9.2 seconds for 0-62mph and the top speed is 134mph. Next up is the A 200, which uses the same engine as the A 180 but tuned to 161bhp and 270Nm of torque. 0-62mph is dealt with in 8.2 seconds and it’ll top out at 140mph. Above those there’s the A 220 with the Mercedes 4MATIC four-wheel drive system. It uses a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine pumping out 188bhp and 300Nm of torque. That’s enough for a 7.1-second 0-62mph time and 146mph top speed. The 221bhp A 250 goes from 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds and on to a 155mph top speed. Source.

Garlic is used in most Indian kitchens to add a distinct flavour to dishes. The humble ingredient not only makes the food taste better but also comes packed with umpteen health benefits that help strengthen the body’s immunity and keep many ailments at bay. Possessing “powerful antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties and being high in antioxidants,” garlic’s benefits are ‘legendary’, Dr Moomal Asif wrote on Instagram. Agreed Dr Garima Goyal, a dietitian, and told indianexpress.com, “Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which makes it a medicine in disguise.” She added that it has “excellent disease-preventing effects such as on cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and also promotes health through its antioxidant activities.” In an Instagram post, nutritionist Lovneet Batra had also shared that garlic is “a miracle food” that “helps to boost the immune system and thus protect our body against various infections” — all due to the presence of allicin. According to experts, it is also anti-fungal and antiseptic in nature, and can help “prevent certain cognitive diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.” However, the experts warned that frying garlic — which should ideally be consumed on an empty stomach — even for “two minutes in the frying pan destroys all its health benefits.” Dr Goyal explained that on being cooked, garlic’s allicin compound is lost along with other water-soluble vitamins like B and C as they all are heat sensitive. What can be done? To retain the health benefits of garlic, Dr Asif suggested making a small change: “Crush, chop, or mince garlic and keep it away from heat for 10 minutes.” “During this time the maximum allicin is created and (if left untouched for 10 minutes) stays intact during cooking,” she said, adding that after 10 minutes one can “fry, sauté, bake to your heart’s content and still get all its medicine.” Adding, Dr Goyal said that this is because in those 10 minutes “allicin becomes intact”, which can be “added to your dishes and relished along with the health benefits.” So, enjoy the myriad benefits of garlic with this super easy rule! Source.

An ex-policeman has killed at least 38 people, most of them children, in a gun and knife attack at a pre-school daycare centre in north-east Thailand. Police say he then killed himself and his family after a manhunt following the attack in Nong Bua Lamphu province. Children and adults are among the casualties at the nursery - police say the attacker shot and stabbed his victims before fleeing the scene. The former officer, aged 34, was sacked in June for drug use, police said. A teacher who survived the attack told Thailand's Thairath TV the gunman used to drop off his child at the nursery and had seemed polite. A motive for the attack remains unclear. At least 22 children were among the dead in the mass killing in the town of Utthai Sawan. Some victims aged as young as two were attacked as they slept. A dozen people who were injured have been taken to Nong Bua Lamphu district hospital. "The shooter came in around lunchtime and shot four or five officials at the childcare centre first," a local official Jidapa Boonsom, who was working nearby, told Reuters news agency. One of them was a teacher who was eight months pregnant, "At first people thought it was fireworks," she said, adding the gunman then forced entry to a locked room where children were sleeping. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha described the shooting as "a shocking event". Police named the attacker as Panya Kamrab, a local man who had been a police lieutenant colonel before he was dismissed last year for drug use. Armed with a shotgun, a pistol and a knife, he stormed the nursery at about 12:30 pm (0530 GMT). The details of what followed are still emerging, but after the killing spree the attacker fled the scene in a white-four door Toyota pick-up truck with Bangkok registration plates, according to police, who launched a search for him and warned locals to keep indoors for their own safety. Eyewitnesses were quoted saying the attacker had driven into bystanders, injuring several people, as he made his escape. Police say Kamrab returned home, killing his wife and child before taking his own life. Mass shootings in Thailand are rare although gun ownership rates are relatively high for the region. Illegal weapons are also common in the south-east Asian country, according to the Reuters news agency. The nursery attack comes less than a month after an army officer shot dead two of his colleagues at a base in Bangkok. In 2020 a soldier killed 29 people and injured dozens more in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima. Source.

Happy birthday legend @REVAN, wish a beautiful day and a wonderful year full of success and joy.

Miami

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Audi has created a hardcore version of the R8 supercar as a final send-off for its howling 5.2-litre V10 engine. Called the R8 V10 GT RWD, it traces its track-bred DNA to the first-generation R8 GT of 2010. Like its forebear, the new GT is equipped with an aggressive aero package, lightweight components and a bespoke chassis setup to take on the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. With a price tag of around £200,000, the GT is set to be the most expensive Audi ever sold in the UK, and it could be the most exciting. The standard rear-driven R8 produces 562bhp from its naturally-aspirated V10, but for the GT, Audi has installed a more potent unit which drives through a snappier seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox with revised gearing. With 611bhp and 565Nm of torque, the GT fires from 0-62mph in just 3.4 seconds, and on to a top speed of 199mph. In tandem with the power uplift, Audi has stripped 20kg from the R8’s kerb weight thanks to carbon-ceramic brake discs, lightweight suspension components and new 20-inch forged wheels. These are shod in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, and in keeping with the car’s track focus, buyers can specify an adjustable coilover suspension kit. The GT’s on-limit behaviour can be tailored using a new Torque Rear driving mode, which allows the driver to control the level of rear axle slip through seven stages. The system uses wheel speed, steering angle and throttle position sensors to tweak the car’s stability systems through a corner, and should allow the driver to dig deeper into the GT’s capabilities. Speaking of which, the limited-run car produces more downforce than the standard R8 thanks to a new front splitter, canard flaps, side skirts, and a revised diffuser, all fashioned from carbon fibre. The GT’s also gets swan-neck mounts for its rear wing, cleaning up the airflow along its lower surface. Inside, flashes of red pick out the R8 GT’s seat belts and floor mats, while racy bucket seats have been installed for extra support during hard track sessions. The R8 GT RWD will arrive in showrooms next year, with a starting price of approximately £200,000 and just 15 examples earmarked for the UK. Source.

The annual show of graduating students of the Raghu Rai Center for Photography is back in the Capital. This year’s edition showcases works by eight graduating students of the 2021-22 batch, traversing genres such as street photography and documentary, landscapes, portraits, photo stories, conceptual, fashion and product photography. Apart from 33 standalones, there are two photo stories on The Bull Run in Khekra (Rajasthan) by Jaiveer Singh Rathore; and Theyyam Festival of Kerala, by Krishnan R Menon. Menon says, “Over the last 14 months, every day has been a new learning experience. From working on photo essays and documentaries to the street, I have now started seeing things that I could not see before.” Amrita Sen, whose works on display include black-and-white landscapes and product photography, says, “We have reached the stage of exhibiting our finest work, and can’t wait to hear the feedback and perspective viewers will provide.” The centre’s director and curator of the show, Nitin Rai, said, “This is our ninth annual exhibition, and after this, we are taking a break.” This year, the centre got few students, but they feel it is not economically viable. Mentor and master-artist Raghu Rai said, “Each year, the interaction between the students and faculty tends to be intense and demanding, and we try and pick up some refreshing and serious work from each of them.” The exhibition is open to the public on October 5-6, 11 am to 6.30pm, at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre. Source.

It does inside the eastern Ukrainian town of Lyman, retaken from the Russians at the weekend. The deserted debris-strewn streets are lined by boarded up or burnt-out buildings. Metal sheeting dangling from smashed roofs is buffeted by the wind. Few civilians venture out. We counted almost as many dogs as people - though the po[CENSORED]tion was around 20,000 before the war. The handful of civilians we met seem shell-shocked by months of bombardment, and uncertain their ordeal is over. The only surge of life was a convoy of Ukrainian troops riding high on top of armoured personnel carriers, waving and cheering, as they headed out of town, along a road bordered by pine forest. They roared past evidence of the human cost of Russia's defeat. The bodies of five dead Russian soldiers lay near each other, now bloated, and contorted by death, but once somebody's husband or somebody's son. They were in full uniform, with boots still on, as if they might somehow return to the fight. They appear to have been cut down together as they tried to flee. Nearby we saw a heap of discarded Russian uniforms, sleeping bags, and ration packs. There was an army backpack with a name written on it. We don't know what became of its owner. Two young volunteers from a Ukrainian humanitarian group were working carefully and quietly, numbering the bodies, and looking for anything that might identify them. They were kneeling just metres away from mines scattered along the roadside, their dark green colour camouflaged by the grass and leaves. They are a lingering threat from an enemy that has been driven into retreat, or as Russia's defence ministry put it, was "withdrawn to more advantageous positions". That statement has a familiar ring to it after the domino of Russian routs last month in Kharkiv province in the north-east. Later the volunteers manoeuvred the remains into black body bags and drove them away - some of Russia's fallen soldiers finally leaving the battlefield. A new Ukrainian flag was flying atop a captured Russian T72 tank, parked by the roadside. "We are going to win," said the smiling young Ukrainian soldier clambering around the gun turret. "I feel very good, very great." What happened here isn't just a defeat for President Vladimir Putin. It's a complete humiliation. Just last Friday he announced to the world he was annexing four Ukrainian regions, including Donetsk, where Lyman is located. He proclaimed that they would be "Russian forever". A day later Ukrainian forces were inside Lyman, and his troops were running for their lives. Ukraine says as many as 5,000 Russian troops were encircled in Lyman, before the town fell. We don't know how many were killed or captured. The defence ministry in Kyiv said in a tweet that almost all the Russian troops deployed to Lyman had been "redeployed either into body bags or into captivity". The strategic town is a gateway to the neighbouring region of Luhansk, which is almost entirely in Russia's grip. Ukraine is hoping to advance further, using its victory here as a springboard. Lena and her 10-year-old Radion are hoping for peace, and for running water. We met the mother and son heading for a well to refill a five-litre container. "I think it will be peaceful," said Lena, who wore a black hat and a few layers of woollen jumpers, "It should be peaceful. Everyone has suffered enough. The hardest thing was to survive the shelling. We prayed as we stayed in the cellar. The situation is still tense but overall, I am happy." While deprived of school, Radion has learnt the lessons of war. His face is sombre, beneath his deep blue hat. "It was a bit scary in Lyman," he tells us "because there was a lot of bombing. War is very bad because people are dying. It's more peaceful in my heart now." Others here still seem lost in their trauma, like 66-year-old Nadia. She was alone on the streets, walking slowly, as if she could not recognise her surroundings. "I hope for the best," she said "and that they [the Russians] won't come back here. It was very bad. Both sides were firing. We didn't understand anything. When it was quiet, we went outside to cook. Then it started again. We have all gone mad now." And she had a question for us. "Why am I being bombarded?" she beseeched us. "I didn't do anything bad. I didn't kill. I didn't steal. I don't understand why. Maybe you can tell me. We lived well, everything was good, we worked. And in one moment it was turned upside down." In the streets around town pro-Russian slogans have been daubed on walls, kiosks and bus shelters. "CCCP" is daubed on a closed shop front - the Cyrillic letters for USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Much as President Putin may wish to resurrect the Soviet Union of his youth, the ruins of Lyman stand as testament to his failure. Ukraine now has momentum and knows it must move fast, Western weapons supplies permitting. Battle lines will harden when freezing weather comes. The window for reclaiming more territory this winter may close in a few weeks. Source.

Tomato

In general you got 4 works on our community, 3 of them are visible and one got hidden by our coordinator due to the missing of watermark... you have no gallery yet, besides you're talking about your work with other communities. In the other hand you got some pretty works, besides i like that challenging attitude of yours (if you consider it as a competitor not as an enemy) my question for you is: let's say you got accepted and you are part of our team, why would we trust you and give you access on our category? since you said you work for other communities... I'd give you my pro already, but i'm really not sure about trusting you to get access.

Conservative MP Steve Baker has apologised for some of his behaviour towards Ireland and the EU during the Brexit process. The Minister of State in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) was speaking at the Conservative party conference. He reflected that he and others did not "always behave in a way which encouraged Ireland and the European Union to trust us to accept that they have legitimate interests". "I am sorry about that," he said. Mr Baker, a well-known Eurosceptic, said "relations with Ireland are not where they should be and we all need to work extremely hard to improve them". He added: "Actually the demise of our late majesty gave us an opportunity to meet leading Irish figures, and I said to some of them that I am sorry that we did not always respect your legitimate interests. "I hope they won't mind me saying I could feel the ice thawing a bit." Wanted to bring 'humility' He was speaking on a panel alongside Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris and Conservative peer Lord Jonathan Caine, who is parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Northern Ireland Office. Much of the discussion centred around the Northern Ireland Protocol, which keeps Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods - avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. "To respect the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) does mean to have respect for all three strands," said Mr Baker. "As a unionist said to me they have seen constitutional change without their consent through the protocol," he added. "Of course, others will argue they've seen constitutional change through having left the EU, without their consent. "But now's the time to really move on and accept the Belfast/GFA agreement as the fundamental fact which brings peace and enables government in Northern Ireland." However he then added that despite acting with "ferocious determination to get the UK out of the EU", he wanted to bring some "humility". "I want to accept and acknowledge that I and others didn't always behave in a way that encouraged Ireland and the EU to trust us to accept that they have legitimate interests, legitimate interests that we're willing to respect - because they do and we are willing to respect them," he said. "I'm sorry about that, because relations with Ireland are not where they should be and we all need to work extremely hard to improve them and I know that we are doing so," he added. 'Combination of humility and resolve' However he added that the government was resolved to get progress on the protocol. "It is not acceptable that Northern Ireland is so separate from Great Britain right now under the protocol, the protocol which at the moment is only partially implemented," he said. "That combination of humility and resolve and that willingness to build up relations and say actually, yes, we do want to be Ireland's closest friends and partners, as we all respect all three strands of the Belfast/GFA - that really is where we need to be," he added. He said people were keen for a negotiated solution. The UK and EU are set to restart talks aimed at resolving the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly held talks with his EU counterpart Maroš Šefčovič on Friday afternoon. The government has been attempting to change the deal it originally agreed with the EU nearly three years ago. But talks have largely been at a standstill since February. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) withdrew from Stormont's institutions in protest at the post-Brexit trading arrangements, arguing that the protocol threatens Northern Ireland's place in the union. What is the protocol? The protocol effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods - avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. But it means new checks on goods arriving from Great Britain, causing deep concern among unionists. In June, while Liz Truss held the position of foreign secretary, she introduced legislation in Parliament that sought to give UK ministers powers to unilaterally scrap large parts of the deal. It was welcomed by the DUP, which has called for the bill to be "fully enacted" before the party considers a return to power sharing, but was condemned by political opponents and the EU as a breach of international law. Since becoming prime minister this month, Ms Truss has reiterated that she wants to reach a negotiated outcome with the EU that would avoid use of the protocol bill's powers. However, the legislation is still expected to begin its scrutiny in the House of Lords in the coming weeks. Source.

HOBART, Australia — Wildlife experts on Thursday rescued 32 of the 230 whales that were found stranded on the wild and remote west coast of Australia’s island state Tasmania a day earlier. Half the pod of pilot whales found stranded in Macquarie Harbour were presumed Wednesday to still be alive, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania said. But only 35 had survived the pounding surf overnight, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service manager Brendon Clark said. “Of the 35 that were remaining alive this morning, we’ve managed to refloat, rescue and release … 32 of those animals, and so that’s a terrific result,” Clark told reporters late Thursday at nearby Strahan. “We still have three alive on the far northern end of Ocean Beach, but because of access restrictions, predominantly tidal influences, we just haven’t been able to access those three animals safely today. But they’ll be our priority in the morning,” Clark added. The whales beached two years to the day after the largest mass-stranding in Australia’s history was discovered in the same harbor. About 470 long-finned pilot whales were found on Sept. 21, 2020, stuck on sandbars. After a weeklong effort, 111 of those whales were rescued but the rest died. The entrance to the harbor is a notoriously shallow and dangerous channel known as Hell’s Gate. Marine Conservation Program biologist Kris Carlyon said the dead whales would be tested to see if there were toxins in their systems that might explain the disaster. “These mass stranding events are typically the result of accidental sort of coming to shore, and that’s through a whole host of reasons,” Carlyon said. Local salmon farmer Linton Kringle helped in the 2020 rescue effort and said Thursday’s challenge was more difficult because the whales were in shallower and more exposed waters. Fourteen sperm whales were discovered Monday afternoon beached on King Island in Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and Tasmania. Griffith University marine scientist Olaf Meynecke said it’s unusual for sperm whales to wash ashore. He said that warmer temperatures could also be changing the ocean currents and moving the whales’ traditional food. Source.

Volvo’s all-new, all-electric large SUV will be called EX90 and will come loaded with advanced safety tech as part of the Swedish brand’s vision of zero deaths and serious injuries in its new cars. The Volvo EX90 will be sold alongside plug-in hybrid variants of the current XC90, Auto Express understands, and will be unveiled on 9 November, before sales start in 2023. Our exclusive image shows what the new car – based on Volvo’s latest SPA2 platform – could look like when it finally breaks cover later this year, with an evolutionary design language for the large SUV. The EX90 will feature plenty of tech to protect pedestrians, cyclists and other road users, as well as its occupants. According to Joachim de Verdier, head of Safe Vehicle Automation at Volvo, “We believe the EX90 to be the safest Volvo car to ever hit the road. “We are fusing our understanding of the outside environment with our more detailed understanding of driver attention. When all our safety systems, sensors, software and computing power come together, they create a preventative shield around you – and you won’t even know it’s there until you need it.” Systems offered on the EX90 include a new LIDAR (light detection and ranging) set-up, which uses a scanning laser light to detect objects ahead. Volvo claims the tech can ‘see’ a stray tyre in the road up to 120 metres in front, for example, while it can spot pedestrians up to 250 metres ahead. This works at high speeds as well as in daylight and at nighttime, unlike a camera-based system, so the level of protection is the same regardless of driving conditions. Using LIDAR, Volvo claims accidents with severe outcomes can be reduced by up to 20 per cent, with overall crash avoidance improved by nine per cent. The EX90’s system is accompanied by five radars, eight cameras and 16 ultrasonic sensors. The latter include parking sensors, while much of the other tech will still be used for pedestrian detection and lane-keep assist, plus convenience features, such as surround-view while parking and semi-autonomous adaptive cruise control. The EX90 will also be fitted with plenty of interior safety technology, including a driver understanding system that features two cameras trained on the driver to assess their concentration and attention levels. The tech observes a driver’s eye-gaze patterns. Volvo believes a driver can focus too much on the road ahead and suffer from cognitive distraction, focusing on their thoughts and not the task of driving. But too little attention paid to the road shows that they are visually distracted, potentially by a mobile phone or another device. Combined with a capacitive steering wheel sensor that knows when the driver is gripping the wheel, the gaze-monitoring tech will attempt to build a bank of driver behaviour data and intervene in a manner of different ways when needed. Expect more details on the EX90’s powertrain and tech to be drip-fed ahead of the car’s reveal in seven weeks’ time. Source.

Hundreds of hot air balloons are scheduled to lift off Saturday morning, marking the start of an annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe to New Mexico’s high desert for 50 years now. As one of the most photographed events in the world, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has become an economic driver for the state’s largest city and a rare — and colorful — opportunity for enthusiasts to be within arm’s reach as the giant balloons are unpacked and inflated. Three of the original pilots who participated in the first fiesta in 1972 and the family members of others are among this year’s attendees. That year, 13 balloons launched from an open lot near a shopping center on what was then the edge of Albuquerque. It has since grown into a multimillion-dollar production. Pilot Gene Dennis, 78, remembers the snow storm that almost caused him to miss that first fiesta. He had to rearrange his flight plans from Michigan so he could make it to Albuquerque in time. The weather was perfect when he got to New Mexico, said Dennis, who flew under the alias “Captain Phairweather.” He was quoted at the time as saying he had brought good weather with him. He’s on the hook again, as pilots hope predictions for opening weekend are fair. “Ballooning is infectious,” Dennis said, describing being aloft like drifting in a dream, quietly observing the countryside below. This year will mark Roman Müller’s first time flying in the fiesta. He’s piloting a special-shaped balloon that was modeled after a chalet at the top of a famous Swiss bobsled run. One of his goals will be flying over the Rio Grande and getting low enough to dip the gondola into the river. “This is my plan,” he said, with a wide smile while acknowledging that it’s not always easy to fly a balloon. One thing that helps, he said, is the phenomenon known as the Albuquerque box — when the wind blows in opposite directions at different elevations, allowing skillful pilots to bring a balloon back to near the point of takeoff. Dennis said it took a few years of holding the fiesta to realize the predictability of the wind patterns allowed for balloons to remain close to the launch field, giving spectators quite a show. Denise Wiederkehr McDonald was a passenger in her father’s balloon during the first fiesta. She made the trip from Colorado to participate in a re-enactment of that 1972 flight on Friday. Her father, Matt Wiederkehr, was one of the first 10 hot air balloon pilots in the U.S. and held numerous world records for distance and duration and built a successful advertising business with his fleet of balloons. Wiederkehr McDonald, who went on to set her own ballooning records before becoming a commercial airline pilot, was wearing one of her father’s faded ballooning jackets and held a cardboard cutout of him as the balloon she was riding in lifted off. She recalled a childhood full of experiences centered on ballooning. “I remember the first time being down in the balloons with them all standing up and inflating and not being able to see the sky because it was all colored fabric. And then the other thing was the first balloon glow at night. Oh, my gosh,” she said. “There were a lot of firsts that I took for granted back then but really look back and appreciate so much now.” The fiesta has grown to include a cadre of European ballooning professionals. More than 20 countries are represented this year, including Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Taiwan and Ukraine. It also serves as the launching venue for the America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race, one of the world’s premier distance races for gas balloons. Source.

Brazilians are voting in an election which could see the country switch from a far-right to a left-wing leader. Voting is compulsory with more than 156 million people eligible. Incumbent Jair Bolsonaro is seeking a second term but faces a challenge from ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. After voting, Lula said he wanted to get the country "back to normal". Mr Bolsonaro - who has often questioned the electronic voting system - said "clean elections" must be respected. Mr Bolsonaro has said in the past that if he loses the election, it will be because the voting was rigged. Brazil's electoral authority has dismissed allegations of a possible rigging as "false and dishonest", but the attacks have raised concerns that Mr Bolsonaro may not accept an outcome unfavourable to him. Quizzed by journalists on the matter on Sunday, he did not directly answer. Statements made by the president in the lead-up to the election, such as that only God could remove him from office, have created a tense atmosphere. A certain nervousness prevailed at two polling stations the BBC visited in Rio as even those wearing Bolsonaro or Lula badges would only provide their first names and refused to have their picture taken. Many voters are showing who they back by either wearing red - the colour of Lula's Workers' Party flag - or the Brazilian football shirt, which is a favourite of President Bolsonaro and his supporters. But there is also a fair share who have opted for subtlety out of fear they may be challenged by rival supporters. Eighty-seven-year-old Sonia, wearing a blue shirt, lowered her voice when she pointed to her 83-year-old friend Eva, who was wearing green: "If you put our two outfits together, they make up the colours of the Brazilian flag, and that's a sign we back Bolsonaro." "I am a patriot, and I don't want our country to become like Venezuela," she whispered, referring to the fear many Bolsonaro supporters share that a left-wing government could drag Brazil into an economic crisis like the one crippling its northern neighbour. The two women also think that President Bolsonaro will strengthen family values and combat the breakdown of the traditional family structure as well as make Rio safer so they do not "have to be afraid to go for a walk after dark". Maria, 54, is also a big fan of Mr Bolsonaro. "There's so many great things he has done, I struggle to narrow it down to a single one," she says before settling on the economy. "Look, he was dealt a really bad hand, he had to face the pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn but he did wonderfully," she gushes. "People say he is authoritarian, but that's not true, it's the opposite, he let's people take their own decisions and weigh up risks for themselves," she says, explaining that his anti-lockdown stance during Covid meant that those living hand-to-mouth were able to go to work. But José, 45, wants President Bolsonaro out of office. "Bolsonaro and his sons are thugs, plain and simple, they should all be in prison." He voted for the centre-left candidate, Ciro Gomes, in the last election, but this time he will vote for Lula because he thinks he is the only one who can beat President Bolsonaro. Mark, who works for state-owned oil giant Petrobras, is also casting an "anti-Bolsonaro vote". He says he is no fan of Lula but he strongly objects to Mr Bolsonaro's plans to privatise Petrobras. Poles apart Voters polarised views mirror weeks of acrimonious campaigning in which the two main candidates often spent more time trading insults than laying out their policies. During a televised debate on Thursday, President Bolsonaro called Lula, who served time in prison after being convicted on corruption charges, an "ex-inmate" and a "traitor", while Lula labelled the president "a liar". Five key facts about Lula 76 years old left-wing former metal worker was president from 2003-2010 imprisoned in 2018 but conviction was later thrown out Lula was not able to run in the last election in 2018 because he was in jail and barred from standing for office. His Workers' Party colleague, Fernando Haddad, did not have the same name recognition and failed to inspire left-wing voters in the way Lula does. Amid widespread discontent with mainstream politics and anger at corruption scandals which had tainted the Workers' Party, far-right lawmaker and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro was swept into office. Five key facts about Bolsonaro 67 years old far-right former army captain running for a second consecutive term has cast unsubstantiated doubts on the trustworthiness of Brazil's electronic voting system But with Lula's conviction annulled by the Supreme Court, the former president is very much back on the scene and opinion polls give him a double-digit lead over Mr Bolsonaro. There are nine other candidates in the running, but polls suggest their support does not amount to more than 10%, leaving Lula and Mr Bolsonaro to battle it out. The poll is taking place in one the world's most populous democracies, and a result is expected within hours after polls close at 17:00 (20:00 GMT). One round or two? Brazil's electoral system requires that a candidate win more than 50% of the valid votes cast in order to be declared president outright. If none of the candidates gets the necessary votes in the first round on 2 October, a run-off will be held between the top two on 30 October. Lula pledged to get Brazil "back to normal" after casting his vote Opinion polls have consistently shown Lula in the lead and there is a small chance he could win the presidency in the first round, something which has not happened since centre-right President Fernando Henrique Cardoso was re-elected in 1998. However, many Bolsonaro supporters remain confident of victory and the president himself believes he can win outright in the first round. Poverty on the rise Growing levels of poverty - hunger is said to affect more than 33 million of Brazil's 214 million inhabitants - have boosted support for Lula, who during his previous presidencies lifted millions out of poverty through generous social programmes. But the growth of evangelical churches has played into the hands of President Bolsonaro, who - while himself not evangelical - has, nonetheless, aligned himself closely with evangelical pastors. READ: ‘We'll vote for Bolsonaro because he is God’ One of those supporting the incumbent is Jean Regina, vice-president of the think tank Brazilian Institute of Law and Religion. According to him, religious leaders find "that the president's rhetoric aligns with what they hold dear, which is the free exercise of their religion and many moral aspects of social life". While Mr Regina highlights Mr Bolsonaro's defence of the traditional family, this is something Vin Vogel, author and illustrator of young readers' books, objects to. He says that "as a citizen who happens to be homosexual, I was so depressed when this openly homophobic person" was elected. But his rejection of President Bolsonaro goes further than that. "There is nothing in this man that I like. He is a threat to democracy, to LGBT people, to indigenous people, so when he was elected, I thought, 'The bully has won the fight.'" Similar to other Lula voters, for Mr Vogel, investment in education is the key to levelling inequalities in Brazil. "There is no way we're going to thrive as a nation if people can't get educated and get access to leisure and culture," he says, adding that he messaged Lula's campaign on social media with a plea to invest in education. Source.

Flipkart Big Dussehra Sale 2022 dates have been announced by the Walmart-owned company. Flipkart's next big festive season sale will kick off from October 5, and will be open until October 8. In case you missed Flipkart's Big Billion Days sale last month, the upcoming Big Dussehra Sale will be a good chance to grab similar discounts and bundled offers. Flipkart's sale will offer 10 percent instant discount to HDFC Bank cardholders alongside easy EMI offers for Flipkart Pay Later users. When will Flipkart Big Dussehra Sale 2022 sale start? As we mentioned above, Flipkart's Big Dussehra Sale is scheduled to run from October 5 to October 8 this year. The festive season sale will open early for Flipkart Plus members on October 4. Flipkart Big Dussehra Sale 2022: What to expect Flipkart has started teasing some of the upcoming deals and offers ahead of its Dussehra-special sale. The sale promises to bring big discounts on bestselling mobile phones. Flipkart is also teasing discounts worth up to 80 percent on electronics. TVs and home appliances will be sold at discounts prices worth up to 75 percent during the sale. You can also expect bundled payment and exchange offers during the upcoming Big Dussehra Sale 2022. As for smartphones, Flipkart's sale will bring discounts on Realme, Poco, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Apple, Xiaomi, and Motorola smartphones. For those looking to upgrade, the sale will include exchange offers and no-cost EMI payment options as well. If you pay using Flipkart's buy-now-pay-later payment method, you'll be eligible for a gift voucher worth Rs. 500. Flipkart will also bundle its mobile protection plans with select mobile phones, available at prices starting from Rs. 199 during the upcoming Big Dussehra Sale 2022. You can expect Flipkart to reveal discounted prices in the days leading up to its next festive season sale. For those looking to buy electronics, Flipkart's Big Dussehra Sale 2022 will bring discounts and bundled offers on laptops, webcams, wearables, speakers, headphones, and other electronics. Flipkart's teaser page mentions discounts on tablets worth up to 50 percent during the sale. Flipkart is also teasing upcoming discounts on printers, monitors, projectors, and other accessories. Stay glued to our updates as we'll be bringing you the best tech deals when the Flipkart Big Dussehra Sale 2022 goes live. Source.

The developers behind Brave Browser have announced that it will begin to block cookie consent notice popups that negatively impact browsing experience for many users. In an update, the anonymous browser’s Privacy Updates blog called cookie consent an “infamous and near-constant annoyance”, while citing an academic study(opens in new tab) that found many browser popups track users across the internet regardless of their choice. Users of the latest Nightly branch (and version 1.45 when it releases in October) will only have to click “yes” on a dialog box on start-up to block all cookie consent popups, using a set of rules and filters that will look familiar to those who use web browser ad blocking extensions. Fighting back against Google’s privacy changes Brave cited Google’s latest raft of proposed changes to Chrome as reasons why an open web, and content-blocking tools, must be fought for, starting with blocking cookie consent popups. These changes include its upcoming switch to the Manifest V3 API, the plan to consolidate websites into single files via a new standard named WebBundles(opens in new tab) and the Privacy Sandbox initiative(opens in new tab) it has in development. “The Web is built to be open. On the one hand, that’s great: It means privacy-protecting Web tools like Brave can act on behalf of users, and protect them from Web abuses and annoyances. On the other hand, cookie banners highlight how much worse the Web will get if Google (and others) succeed in weakening users’ ability to block such annoyances,” Brave said in its announcement(opens in new tab). Brave has long warned that these new initiatives are actually on course to reduce user privacy online, by decreasing the effectiveness of existing ad blocking extensions(opens in new tab) and reducing the choice users have over their web browser. In January 2022, the company specifically dismissed(opens in new tab) Google’s Privacy Sandbox as a power play designed to cement the tech giant’s stranglehold on the web, in part because of its use of Google’s own servers and promotion of the “AppStore-ification” of the internet. “[...] a cynical proposal adopting just enough of the language and colors of the privacy community to keep regulators at bay, while in practice benefitting Google’s monopoly, all to the detriment of the Web at large,” it said. With Brave submitting its concerns about Google’s reforms to the UK Competition and Markets Authority(opens in new tab) (CMA), it’s clear that an open web committed to privacy still has its proponents and won’t be going down without a fight. Source.

Adobe Photoshop is the de facto standard for image editing, but it doesn’t come cheap. The basic consumer version, Photoshop Elements, costs around $100 and a subscription that runs professional-grade Photoshop starts at $19.99 a month. Unless you really need the features of genuine Photoshop, there’s a powerful, free alternative in GIMP (The GNU Image Mani[CENSORED]tion Program), which is available for Windows, Linux and macOS. The first hurdle when moving from Photoshop to GIMP is the user interface. GIMP is very different from Photoshop and that can slow your workflow to a crawl. Keyboard shortcuts and menu layout changes can infuriate users. If you have the time and the patience, learning the GIMP user interface isn’t too difficult, but for some folks, it just isn’t as user-friendly as Photoshop’s. The GIMP community comes to the rescue and Diolinux’s PhotoGIMP is a complete user interface replacement for GIMP which uses Photoshop as a template. Not only does it replace the UI, but it adds Photoshop shortcuts, icons and Python image filters. In this how to, we will learn how to install PhotoGIMP on top of the latest version of GIMP.

Name of the game: Supraland Six Inches Under Price: $19.99 - $11.99 Link Store: Click. Offer ends up after X hours: DAILY DEAL! Offer ends 9 October. Requirements:

Roguelites have been in a very good place these past few years, thanks to many excellent titles like Dead Cells, Enter the Gungeon, Hades, and Returnal, which have taken the typically unforgiving roguelike experience and tweaked it to make it more enjoyable for players that do not find starting their adventure over and over from scratch too enticing. Given the nature of the roguelite experience, the vast majority of games are set in relatively small worlds that serve as the background for the procedurally generated mechanics that power them, and, as such, an open-world roguelite doesn't exactly sound like a very good idea on paper. In reality, however, it is a good idea, judging from Ravenbound, the latest game from Generation Zero and Second Extinction developer System Reaction. Set in an unforgiving world based on Scandinavian folklore, players take control of the Vessel, a powerful being who carries the power of the Raven whose duty is to save the world of Ávalt from the Betrayer. As this is no easy task at all, the ancient gods of Ávalt have enshrined the Raven in the body of warriors so that its powers can be passed from one Vessel to the other in the long war against this Betrayer and its minions. Ravenbound's premise outlines the experience in a very effective way. During each run, players will have to explore different biomes, locate key items to open up a tomb and defeat the powerful boss within. Once at least three bosses have been defeated, the path to the Betrayer will open up, giving the Vessel the chance to fulfill its purpose and save Ávalt. How players go about accomplishing this is left at their discretion, as they are given the option of fully exploring each open-world biome right from the start of each run. While it is possible to collect the key items to open the tomb of each biome in a very short time, it isn't exactly recommended to rush through the main objectives, as the Vessel may end up being too weak to take on the powerful foes hidden within. The Ravenbound's progression system uses deck-building mechanics that let players customize their builds in any way they wish. They may go for a glass-cannon build that hits hard but has low defense, for a tanky build that can take a beating, or for a more balanced one with some special abilities, like getting back one potion use after winning an enemy encounter, a very useful ability in a game where healing is limited, and combat takes center stage most of the times. Ravenbound's combat is rather interesting in its simplicity. Armed with different weapons, the Vessel can unleash strings of light and heavy attacks with slightly different properties and powerful charged attacks. Light attacks are great for knocking the enemy down and leaving them defenseless for a short while, while heavy ones can break guard and deal high damage. The game also offers a couple of effective defensive options, such as a snappy dodging maneuver which can be turned into a slide by holding down the button, and a shield that can be used to block attacks and even parry them, knocking enemies down in the process. While these are standard mechanics, when it comes to third-person action games, they work quite well in Ravenbound, thanks to how snappy combat feels. Most open-world games tend to have somewhat sluggish combat, so I was quite surprised at how fast and snappy fighting enemies is in System Reaction's game. And while no new attacks can be unlocked during a run, the different weapon types, which include sword and shield, dual axes, greatswords, and more, ensure that combat doesn't become stale after just a couple of runs. Enemy variety looks good already in the demo, featuring a selection of different creatures ranging from your typical human bandits to undead and spirits which fight quite differently from one another. Fighting each and every enemy group on the path to the tomb may start feeling repetitive after a while, but it is something that players will want to do as much as possible to prepare their Vessel to fight the Betrayer. By defeating enemies, the Vessel will level up, obtaining Valor points that can be used to activate the aforementioned cards to perfect their builds. Cards are also obtained as a reward for defeating enemies, so it's clear how combat is one of the main focuses of the Ravenbound experience. The other will be exploration, which isn't surprising, given how the game is an open-world title. When it comes to different activities, being a roguelite, Ravenbound cannot offer the same variety as other pure open-world games, but I feel the developer is doing a decent job at offering more than just fighting countless enemies to enhance the Vessel. The first biome I accessed also featured a village complete with side-quest offering NPCs, shops, a blacksmith, and so on. Sidequests still involve more fighting at the moment, but with the game being still far from release, I expect them to be a little more varied when the game officially launches in the future. Staying true to its name, Ravenbound's exploration is centered around the ability to turn into a raven and fly all over any given biome. As they tend to be rather big, flying around is the best way to explore them as quickly as possible. Even if one wants to take their own sweet time, flying around as a raven still feels great, thanks to the impressive draw distance and the sense of speed. Sure, there's some clunkiness to it, as turning back into human form isn't particularly snappy, but the great feel of flying makes it easy to look past any small issue that will likely be addressed in the final release. With Ravenbound, Systemic Reaction is attempting to mix two genres with very little in common, and so far, it looks like they are succeeding. While the experience is relatively straightforward, as combat and exploration are standard fares for third-person open-world games, it already feels great to play in its current state, so I am definitely looking forward to experiencing more of Ávalt and challenging the Betrayer and its minions again when the game launches on Steam in the future. Ravenbound Gameplay Reveal. Source.

you just joined our community yesterday, you've got no activity in design section, you don't have a gallery yet... besides all of that u just copied mugiwara's topic (with the change of TS3 to TS4 lol) Super contra!

"I don't think there is a way out." It's breathtaking to hear that judgement on Liz Truss' problems from a seasoned former Conservative when the prime minister has not been in charge for a month. But instead of a honeymoon Liz Truss's first weeks in office have resembled a horror film. A crash in the pound, since recovered, a crash in the polls and the Bank of England having to pump billions into the markets to stop pensions being wiped out. Tory MPs tell me about phone calls from constituents who are in tears - fearful of losing their homes or businesses as borrowing costs soar. And those higher costs - and inflation - will hit the government hard, bringing the prospect of dramatic spending cuts. So instead of anticipating their new leader taking the stage in triumph at the Conservative Party conference this week, the question many MPs and members of the public are asking is how can Liz Truss - who is on our show this week - get out of this mess? Does she ditch her plans? Stick firmly to the script? Or muddle through? First, remember what happened to prompt the last wild week. The government announced a hugely expensive package to freeze energy prices before following that up with a promise of chunky tax cuts that gave back more money to the wealthiest people in the country. But what they crucially did not do was show how they planned to pay for it - by refusing to publish an assessment from the Office for Budget Responsibility - which examines the government's tax and spending plans. And on our programme last week, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng suggested there would be more tax cuts to come. Of course, there's a healthy political debate about the rights and wrongs of those policies on their own. But what financial markets detest is the notion of spending and borrowing at huge levels without spelling out how and when the bills will be paid. As one weary sounding Tory MP put it: "The problem wasn't the numbers, it was that there weren't any." It's perfectly normal for governments to borrow billions of pounds from the markets but the reaction last week suggested the City had precious little faith that the government's plans added up. That's toxic, because without that confidence, it makes it more expensive for the government to borrow the cash it needs. That makes the cost of loans and mortgages go up for everyone and could mean less money for public services too. One party insider says that the hit to the Tories' reputation for running the economy could have "all the hallmarks of a generation-defining setback". But all the signs are that the prime minister has zero intention of shifting an inch on this. Here's what her supporters have told me: One cabinet minister: "They have to stick to it now - the idea there can be a volte-face, forget it" A minister: "She's trying to change the direction of the country - the issues are the day to day handling of the politics" A Truss backer: "'What's happening is a political loss of nerve - it's entirely within our gift to recover it" Yet No 10 faces a double nightmare of trying to recover economic and political credibility at the same time. Can they really do nothing? The head of a large foreign investor said the UK was now "uninvestable". Trying to keep calm (ish) and carry on just may not be possible. The pound has recovered much of its losses but it seems a tall order for confidence to bounce back in the same way. The last week suggests there are serious doubts about the chancellor's strategy. As one senior investor told me: "I don't know a single person in the City who thinks he knows what he is doing." Politicians I've spoken to - fans of the new government or not - suggest moving Mr Kwarteng would be "cowardly" or "wouldn't make a difference". Liz Truss is politically close to her chancellor and a major move like that could cause even more instability. But there is no doubt that No 11's authority is part of the problem. A source close to Mr Kwarteng says "we make no apology for reversing an unsustainable high tax path". But a cabinet minister told me while there's no chance of an exit now "history shows that chancellors who have moments like this don't necessarily survive in the medium to long-term". While it's clear neither No 10 nor No 11 will consider a change of approach right now their own party may force them to make some changes so they can muddle through. First off, there is a rising hunger for ministers to bring forward their full plans for the economy, including spelling out the costs and consequences of their spending. As things stand No 10 is adamant this won't be until 23 November. But plenty of backbenchers want it brought forward. One minister suggested the government will have to budge before November, saying: "Give the markets what they want with some more detailed forecasts and some attempt to show that this will work." There's a thirst too to bring forward announcements of the other changes the government wants to make to get the economy going. One senior MP said the chancellor has a chance this week to talk about his "big productivity plans" to show "it's a wider package, not just tax cuts". But the government may yet have to ditch some of its ideas. "They'll have to walk back some of the things that have caused the most offence," says an MP. This could be scrapping the 45% top tax rate which I'm told the whole cabinet was not consulted on and which raised the most eyebrows in the mini-budget. And it's clear many Conservative MPs would be reluctant to back it, with one telling me: "If there is a vote on 45p or bankers' bonuses I won't vote for them, and neither will colleagues." There is growing unease too about the costs and implications of the decisions that have already been made for public spending, and specifically about the possibility of going back on Boris Johnson's promise that benefits would rise in line with inflation. One former minister told me the idea was "stupidity squared" because cutting tax for the best-off while giving those on benefits a real-terms cut is a total political non-starter. Another senior figure predicts a classic climbdown where the government will stick to cutting the basic rate of tax with the classic promise to "consult" on the more controversial elements. But what if Ms Truss can't or won't budge'? Several MPs say one approach to get the government's attention would be a kind of strike. They could make it plain the government doesn't have backbench support by not turning up in the Commons. But others are already contemplating even more. Extraordinary as it is to say this so soon into a new leader's tenure, there are already conversations in the party about taking the ultimate action. In other words, if the PM won't change her plans, her party might have to change her job. One MP told me baldly in the last week: "They have lost the privilege of governing - I'm going to try and get rid of her." A former minister said there was a lot of "bluster and chest-beating" going and talk of removing the PM was "hysteria", but added: 'Four weeks of polls like this and we might move." Crazy? Perhaps. Wild talk in Westminster is often subdued by inertia. Things change quickly. There are many Conservatives who believe Liz Truss' plans are an important and badly needed reset. But if the Tories carry on being battered in the polls, and the market turmoil continues for weeks, all bets could be off. And if it becomes a question of personal survival, arguably Liz Truss may not have helped her case by giving all the plum jobs to MPs who backed her in the leadership contest. Remember she wasn't the favourite choice of MPs to start with. As one senior figure reflects: "There is already a cohort of people who are saying 'this is nothing to do with us'." Liz Truss has a huge chance in Birmingham this week to calm her party, the country and the financial markets, as well as explaining more clearly what she is trying to achieve. And while there is no remote sense she will backtrack on her ambitions, these first steps in power have created serious doubts in her party, and among the public, about whether she has the right ideas and the backing to make radical changes to the country. Downing Street could very, very quickly become a lonely place. Source.

K2 was fun to be around. The bottlenose dolphin was an energetic 11-year-old, a young adult in dolphin years, who was born at The Mirage casino on the Las Vegas strip and lived his entire life there. Visitors sometimes paid as much as $450 to have brief in-water interactions with him and other bottlenose dolphins. His handlers said he was often vocal and made people smile. But earlier this month K2 started to show signs of illness. He didn’t want to eat his fish. Bloodwork showed his liver enzymes were high, and internal imaging prompted treatment for respiratory illness. His care team administered antifungals, antibiotics, and nebulizer breathing treatments. Yet K2 died on September 24, marking the third dolphin death at The Mirage in just the past six months. Maverick, a 19-year-old dolphin, died earlier in September following treatment for a lung infection. And Bella, 13, died in April after being treated for gastroenteritis. “It’s an exceptional number of deaths in such a short period,” says Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist at the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute, in Washington, D.C. All three dolphins were in the “prime of life,” she says. Overall bottlenose dolphin average life expectancy is 20 to 30 years, with a maximum life span of 65. The Mirage’s animal exhibit, which is operated by MGM Resorts International, has temporarily closed so that independent experts can investigate the deaths; ticket sales have been paused through October 9. “We are in the process of working with the National Marine Mammal Foundation to conduct a complete review and assessment of all aspects of our dolphin-care program,” Dave Blasko, executive director of animal care at The Mirage, said in a statement to National Geographic. The reviewers will examine the facility’s veterinary care; animal husbandry and behavior; water quality and filtration and the overall environment, he says. Seven live bottlenose dolphins remain at the exhibit, along with four leopards, two lions, eight tigers, one two-toed sloth, one umbrella cockatoo, and approximately 350 aquarium fish. A history of deaths The Mirage Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat has a lengthy record of dolphin deaths: K2 was the 16th dolphin to die at the facility in its 31-year-old history, including the two deaths this month, according to Cetabase.org, a nonprofit database that tracks marine mammals in captivity. The dolphins, a mix of wild-born and captive-born animals, died from multiple causes, such as pneumonia, “severe chronic necrotizing pancreatitis,” and age-related heart failure. (Blasko says that one of the deaths occurred when a dolphin wasn’t in their care, and another was a newborn that died after 14 days.) Blasko did not share medical records for K2, Maverick, and Bella with National Geographic. But Rose, the marine mammal scientist, says a major problem with The Mirage’s dolphin exhibit is that it exposes the animals to Las Vegas’ extremely hot climate. A common complaint among animal welfare advocates is that the entirely outdoor exhibit does not provide adequate shade for The Mirage dolphins. Moreover, conditions in human-made pools can’t emulate those in the wild, where dolphins can dive deep into the water away from the heat, swim vast distances, and live in complex social groups, she says. (Learn more about the conditions captive animals face for wildlife tourism.) According to Blasko, The Mirage’s animals are well cared for, with weekly vet exams and daily health inspections. The facility’s four interconnected pools, which range in depth from 14 to 23 feet, are maintained year-round at 78 degrees Fahrenheit, he says, and the animals are also protected from the sun by surrounding palm trees, a few sunshades, and nearby buildings, which may cast small shadows, depending on the time of day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, during routine inspections of the facility for humane handling, care, and treatment of the animals, has not reported any sun damage to the animals’ skin or eyes, he notes. The agency also hasn’t reported any other animal welfare issues—including during its most recent inspection which occurred just two days before K2 died. A murky future The Mirage deaths come at a time when some countries in Europe and elsewhere are increasingly banning cetacean captivity and entertainment. In 2019, Canada outlawed trade, possession, capture, and breeding of all cetaceans for entertainment, with the law’s proponents stating it’s both unethical and cruel to keep these highly intelligent and social animals in tanks. In the U.S., however, dolphin programs continue to be po[CENSORED]r—with 446 bottlenose dolphins living in captivity, according to the National Inventory of Marine Mammals. (Read how treating human conditions with dolphin interactions has gone global, despite the lack of science behind it.) The future for The Mirage’s animals remains murky. At the end of 2021, MGM announced that it’d struck a deal with Hard Rock International—known for its chain of Hard Rock Cafes—to transfer ownership of The Mirage for $1.075 billion. But the deal hasn't yet closed, and Hard Rock hasn't stated what it plans to do with the site’s animals or how it would safeguard the animals during future planned construction work. (Hard Rock spokesperson Gina Cadahia, when contacted by National Geographic, declined to comment on the company’s future plans.) Local animal welfare advocates, such as Linda Faso, have proposed that The Mirage’s remaining dolphins be sent to a sanctuary. Richard O’Barry, founder and director of the California-based Dolphin Project, and dolphin trainer for the 1960s television series Flipper, is pushing for that, too. “Not all captive dolphins can be set free, but all captive dolphins can be relocated to a sanctuary to live out [their] lives with quality and dignity,” O’Barry says. “That’s what we would like to see happen to the casino dolphins living in the Las Vegas desert.” Source.