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Music title: CHIHIRO Signer: Billie Eilish Release date: 17/05/2024 Official YouTube link: LINK HERE Informations about the signer: Billie Eilish Bert Baird O'Connell, officially known as Billie Eilish, is an American pop singer Your opinion about the track (music video): /

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Happy Birthday laeziz e9ouba l 100 ans insh'allah 🤍

Ramadan Mubarak ❤️🌙

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We’re all probably tired of hearing about layoffs by now, but sadly it’s a depressing reality of the current video game industry. Even in companies that are seemingly doing well we’ve seen long-time employees losing their jobs, and for a lot of players the worry is that this is going to have a knock-on effect not just on other creators but also the games themselves. One of the most recent layoffs, just today, in fact, was from mobile game creator Playtika. The company has laid off around 400 jobs, or about 10% of its workforce, in one fell swoop following another round of layoffs in 2022. You may know Playtika as the force behind developer Wooga,themselves responsible for the hugely successful puzzle and narrative game June’s Journey. June’s Journey is one of many games that make up Playtika’s overall portfolio and has also been a surprise hit for Wooga. The studio even commissioned its own podcast to expand on the game's narrative lore. But for the layperson watching these layoffs happen in real-time, they may be worrying that even the makers of a highly successful game like this will be at risk. Should we be worried? If you’re a big June’s Journey fan, then there's nothing to worry about. Wooga is one of Playtika’s most lucrative subsidiaries and is hugely successful on its own. At the moment, these layoffs are restricted to the main company. However, if there’s anything we’ve seen with other major corporations like Embracer, these layoffs can have a knock-on effect on virtually any studio that could be seen as underperforming. It's a major change to the behaviour of Playtika. Only a while ago back in 2023, Playtika seemed pretty confident and was even making offers to buy Angry Birds developers Rovio Entertainment. But it seems that things have changed since then… What’s the implication then, for us as players? Well, at the moment we can’t be sure. For successful games, we can assume they’re just going to keep going. Although Playtika hasn’t been shy about closing down those studios and taking these games on directly as their own, as was the case with Best Fiends developers Seriously who saw their studio shut down only a year before the game received a major marketing push. Sadly, as it stands, games are more often than not seen as a commodity, with little regard for the studios that have made them. It may be a shrewd business decision - arguably - but it also means that ultimately these titles are taken out of the hands of the players who know them in and out and understand their systems. A lower quality of ongoing service is then most likely inevitable. The layoffs explained If you’re wondering why so many companies are making these layoffs, it could be argued that it’s partially due to Covid-19. When these companies had a ‘captive audience’ they expanded massively due to the huge influx of profits when video games became everyone’s go-to choice of entertainment. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to have told them that the good times don’t last forever. So, now, they’re deciding to cut out the people that they hired, or more besides. Add on the disastrous business dealings of companies like Embracer, and sadly it’s the developers who end up getting hit with the backlash. For now, things are business as usual. But many have been wondering if these cuts to teams that have built up expertise over the years will lead to a crash. In this case, we could see some serious changes in how things work for both players and studios. Whether that means a break-up of the huge studios that have consolidated over the years or independent developers falling prey to a more volatile scenario could dictate how the game industry, and games themselves, develop for the foreseeable future. What do you think? Do you think this is the last we’ll see of it? Will it change and improve? Have you seen any changes in your favourite games since these layoffs happened? SOURCE

Rishi Sunak has succeeded in getting his key Rwanda bill through the House of Commons after a Tory rebellion failed to materialise. The bill, which aims to stop legal challenges against ministers' plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, was approved by 320 votes to 276 votes. Dozens of Tories thought the bill was flawed and had threatened to rebel but in the end, only 11 voted against it. The bill now goes to the House of Lords where it will face stiff opposition. Mr Sunak argues that deporting some asylum seekers to Rwanda will be a deterrent to migrants seeking to get to the UK by crossing the Channel in small boats, but Labour has labelled the plan an expensive "gimmick". Over the past two days MPs on the right of the Conservative Party have tried to change the bill, arguing that, without amendments, the government's Rwanda plan could be blocked by the courts. On Wednesday, former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick tabled an amendment which would permit the UK government to ignore parts of human rights law in relation to sending people to Rwanda. Mr Jenrick also proposed an amendment which would ensure ministers automatically reject last-minute interim orders from the European Court of Human Rights. Such an order was responsible for blocking a flight to Rwanda back in June 2022. The amendment was not approved by MPs but received the backing of 61 Conservatives - the biggest rebellion of Mr Sunak's premiership. Some MPs had suggested they would be willing to abstain or even vote against the entire bill if it remained unchanged. The bill could have fallen if about 30 Conservatives had voted against it - an outcome that would have severely damaged the prime minister's authority, potentially fatally. However, in the event, just 11 MPs - including Mr Jenrick and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman - voted against it. Other Tory MPs on the list include Miriam Cates, Sir Simon Clarke, Mark Francois and Danny Kruger. Eighteen Conservative MPs did not record a vote, however some of those may have simply been unable to attend the vote rather than deliberately abstaining. Conservative Danny Kruger, who voted against the bill, said some of his colleagues had opted to support the legislation despite their concerns in order to avoid "political disruption". Sir Simon Clarke, who also opposed the bill said: "All Conservatives want the Rwanda policy to succeed... the profound misgivings some of us hold about the bill are on record, but history will now relate who was right." Labour opposed the bill, with shadow Home Office secretary Yvette Cooper labelling the policy a "costly con" that had so far failed to send any asylum seekers to Rwanda. Home Secretary James Cleverly defended the plan arguing that it sent "an unambiguously clear message that if you enter the United Kingdom illegally you cannot stay. "This bill has been meticulously drafted to end the merry-go-round of legal challenges," he added. The debate over the legislation has exposed on-going divisions among Conservatives - on Tuesday evening two deputy chairmen, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, quit their roles in order to vote for the rebel amendments. Despite his concerns, Mr Clarke-Smith back the bill at the final stage, while Mr Anderson did not register a vote. One rebel source told the BBC: "It is not the case that tonight's vote is the end of matters. If the House of Lords chooses - as I suspect they will - to send back amendments that weaken the bill, the response of those [right-wing Conservative MPs] will be to table amendments in lieu that toughen the bill." "The prime minister is by no means out of the woods." As the debate in the House of Commons unfolded, developments took place elsewhere. Speaking from the Davos conference in Switzerland, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame said he would return money to the UK if no asylum seekers were sent to his country. The UK has so far paid £240m to the East African nation and is expected to pay a further £50m. A Rwandan government spokeswoman later said the country had "no obligation" to return the money but would consider a request for a refund from the UK. In Westminster, a Downing Street spokesman was forced to deny it was trying to change the Civil Service code to include a presumption that emergency injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights should be ignored. At the start of the day Home Office Minister Michael Tomlinson had said the government was "looking at that", but hours later No 10 said it was not seeking to rewrite the code. The Cabinet Office later issued guidance stating that it was the "responsibility" of civil servants to "implement" a minister's decision to ignore rulings from the court. SOURCE

With Audi set to bow out of the Dakar Rally - probably after it’s won the thing, with Carlos Sainz Snr currently leading the 2024 edition in the RS Q e-tron - some are beginning to wonder who might challenge for victory in 2025. Including Ford, which reckons it should be them. Cue a major announcement of Ford’s global motorsport programme, which includes taking a ‘Raptor-branded’ truck to the world’s toughest endurance race next year. The pair of Rangers out there at the moment won't cut it, apparently. “Racing is part of Ford’s DNA,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley. “We earned that by living in the future not the past. We are committed to making the world a better place by producing vehicles with passion and love that people can’t live without. “We will race to win everywhere: Mustang on the track and Raptor off-road, to mind blowing EV demonstrators, and unforgettable brand experiences for our customers. There could not be a more exciting time in the history of Ford Performance Motorsports than right now.” Golly. As well as doing WEC, Le Mans and IMSA with a Mustang GT3, Ford will be dabbling in Nascar, NHRA and Pikes Peak; it’s returning to the latter with an as-yet-untitled ‘EV demonstrator’ having rocked up to the last event with the 1,400bhp SuperVan 4.2. Not to mention that it’s now knee-deep in developing a new F1 engine with Red Bull ahead of the 2026 powertrain overhaul. Ford claims to be involved in high-voltage propulsion (EV motors, right?), ICE and turbo manufacturing plus electronics systems, although exactly how much of the workload is being shared between it and Red Bull Powertrains hasn’t been clear since the Red Bull-Ford link-up was announced last year. Anyway, we’re getting off topic. Ford is going for the outright win in the Dakar in 2025 and its racing Raptor will be developed alongside M-Sport, which also looks after its hybrid WRC car. Is any of this making you want to go out right now and buy a Puma? Or better yet, a whopping great pick-up truck? SOURCE

Yemen's Houthis have targeted a US-owned vessel in the Red Sea after Washington said it will re-designate the group as "global terrorists". The group said they hit the "Genco Picardy" bulk carrier with missiles which resulted in a "direct hit". The US military says the vessel was hit by a drone on Wednesday evening. Washington's new designation of the Houthis will require US financial institutions to freeze Houthi funds and its members will be banned from the US. The Houthi Red Sea attacks are a response to Israel's military operation in Gaza. Earlier this month, the UK and US launched air strikes on dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen in an attempt to stop the group from targeting vessels in the Red Sea. On Wednesday evening, a Houthi spokesperson said the group had successfully targeted the Genco Picardy, and that the attack was a response to "the American-British aggression against our country". The US military said the ship was hit by a drone launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. It said there was some damage but no injuries, and the vessel remained seaworthy. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the re-designation of the Houthis as "global terrorists" is in response to the Iran-backed group's attacks on commercial shipping in the region. The move to re-designate the Houthis reverses Secretary of State Antony Blinken's 2021 decision to remove the rebels from the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist List (SDGT). In a statement, Mr Sullivan said the recent Houthi attacks "fit the textbook definition of terrorism", as they have put US personnel in danger and jeopardized global trade operations. "If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States will immediately re-evaluate this designation," Mr Sullivan added. In the waning days of the Trump administration officials imposed the SDGT and foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) labels on the Houthis. This action was taken despite warnings from the UN and aid groups that it could push war-torn Yemen into a large-scale famine. But in 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden's inauguration, that decision was reversed by Mr Blinken, the newly installed Secretary of State. He cited the dire humanitarian situation faced by the people of Yemen. Speaking to reporters ahead of Wednesday's announcement, senior administration officials defended the decision to reinstate the SDGT designation but not the FTO designation, which they said had been taken to ensure the continued flow of aid into Yemen. "It was the correct step to revoke," one official said, arguing that it was a move taken in "recognition of a very dire humanitarian situation" in the country and to ensure that "US policies weren't impeding" civilians' access to urgent aid. But they accepted that the Houthis' campaign of attacks on commercial shipping, which has now seen dozens of missiles fired at vessels in the Red Sea, has become "unacceptable". The new SDGT designation will also bar people and companies in the US from offering any support to the Houthis. However, officials were keen to emphasise that a range of exemptions will be worked into the new designation to ensure humanitarian aid continues to flow into Yemen, a country devastated by almost a decade of civil war. "We are rolling out unprecedented carve outs and licenses to help prevent adverse impacts on the Yemeni people," said Mr Sullivan in his statement. "The people of Yemen should not pay the price for the actions of the Houthis." The Houthis began attacking merchant vessels in November, saying they were responding to Israel's military operation in Gaza. Since then, the group has launched dozens of attacks on commercial tankers passing through the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. In response, the US and UK launched a wave of air strikes against dozens of Houthi targets on 11 January. The strikes - supported by Australia, Bahrain, the Netherlands and Canada - began after Houthi forces ignored an ultimatum to cease their attacks in the region. Biden administration officials denied that the new terrorist designation was an acceptance that the air campaign may not deter further Houthi attacks. "We see these sanctions as one piece of a broader effort to bring the Houthis back from the terror attacks they are currently committing," one official said. "Our sanctions are best not seen in isolation but as part of a broader effort." In the wake of last week's strikes, the Houthis said the US and UK would "soon realise" the action was "the greatest folly in their history". "America and Britain made a mistake in launching the war on Yemen because they did not benefit from their previous experiences," senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti wrote on social media. Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that escalated in 2015, when the Houthis seized control of large parts of the west of the country from the internationally recognised government and a Saudi-led coalition intervened in an effort to restore its rule. The fighting has reportedly left more than 160,000 people dead and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with two thirds of the po[CENSORED]tion - 21 million people - in need of some form of aid. SOURCE