Everything posted by Ronaldskk.
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https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68254803 Mikel Arteta says he will continue to show emotion despite being criticised for over-celebrating Arsenal's 3-1 win over Premier League leaders Liverpool. Arteta sprinted down the touchline when his side scored, before saluting fans with fist pumps at the end of Sunday's crucial game as the Gunners moved two points behind Jurgen Klopp's men. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said there was a "little bit of immaturity" in Arsenal's celebrations. Arteta said: "Personally, I love it." "It brings such a passion and emotion to the game when it's done in a natural and unique way," added the Spaniard. Mikel Arteta manager of Arsenal celebrates during the Premier League match Arteta celebrated Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard's goals by sprinting animatedly down the touchline Gunners captain Martin Odegaard was also told to "get down the tunnel" by Sky Sports pundit and ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher after borrowing a camera from a club photographer to take pictures at full-time. "If you're not allowed to celebrate when you win a game, when are you allowed to celebrate?" Odegaard responded after the game. Arteta added: "I love it. I've seen managers at the Emirates, away [at other stadiums] on their knees inside the pitch. I've seen very big managers going across the touchline in the Premier League. "I think it's great but it's my opinion and other people may think something different."
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https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/new-york-fashion-week-menswear-showcases-age-defying-designs-2024-02-09/ NEW YORK, Feb 9 (Reuters) - New York Fashion Week: The Shows officially kicked off on Friday, with four menswear designers showcasing their new collections. Y.Chroma, which launched less than a year ago, is on a mission to target the often-ignored middle-aged bracket. "My customers ... look in line at Starbucks and realize they're wearing the same clothes as every other guy, and they want to change that. That's actually not an easy transition to make," said founder Max Israel. Israel said the brand taps into Generation X's heritage, infusing the laid-back essence of skate and surf culture with luxurious textiles and refined aesthetics. "This matters because you're talking about 100 million men between the U.S. and Europe. They're most of GDP, and they're totally locked out of fashion... We're going to change that," said Israel. Designer Terry Singh, himself aged 57, returned with a collection that seeks to give each man he dresses a sharp identity. "When you see him coming down the street, he has that look," he said. Singh continued his tradition of using unconventional models. Brian St. John, for instance, is a record label vice president who Singh found having his photo taken on the street in New York. "Terry was directing my friend how to take the pictures better and angling it better. And then we exchanged Instagrams ... and he hit me up and asked me to be in the show," said St. John. Fashion brand Landeros also showed during the morning session of the biannual Men's Day event, while designer Jack Sivan's brand made its fashion week debut, focusing on soft and playful tailoring. Nearly 50 brands including Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger and Brandon Maxwell will showcase their collections during New York Fashion Week: The Shows, which runs until Wednesday.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68249962 Videos of Gazan detainees stripped, bound and blindfolded that were filmed and uploaded online by Israeli soldiers could breach international law, legal experts say. International law says detainees must not be exposed to unnecessary humiliation or public curiosity. BBC Verify looked at hundreds of videos openly shared by Israeli soldiers in Gaza since November 2023. We verified eight showing detainees. The IDF says it has terminated the service of one of the reservists we identified, and videos like these do not represent its values. It did not respond to any further request for comment. Dr Mark Ellis, a leading UN advisor to international criminal tribunals, said the footage we showed him from Israeli soldiers might violate the recognised rules for treating prisoners of war. Serving soldiers Most of the videos we analysed show scenes of fighting and soldiers looking through homes abandoned by residents. One video shows soldiers launching weapons dressed up as dinosaurs, and others show them setting up a pizza restaurant in an empty Palestinian home. But we found eight, filmed and shared publicly, which legal experts say show the ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees. They were all posted by men who are or were serving soldiers, who did not hide their identity. We uncovered one account by analysing an image of a Palestinian detainee which was widely shared online earlier this week. Reverse image search tools show it came from the YouTube account of Israeli soldier Yossi Gamzoo Letova. He has uploaded multiple videos from Gaza since early December, including shots of his troop, which he identifies as the Granite Battalion 932, which is part of the IDF's Nahal Brigade. In a video posted on 24 December 2023, the Palestinian detainee from the image is shown stripped and bleeding with his hands bound and sat on a chair while being interrogated. An IDF soldier interrogates a detainee in Gaza An IDF soldier interrogates a detainee in Gaza We identified the location as Gaza College, a school in the north of the strip, from the distinctive decor as well as the institution's logo which can be seen in the video and which we matched to its Facebook page. Later in the same video, the detainee is seen being marched barefoot through the streets of Gaza. In a statement, the IDF said: "The photo was taken during a field questioning. The suspect was not injured. A reservist photographed and published the picture contrary to IDF orders and values. It was recently decided to terminate his reserve service." Videos removed On the same day, Mr Letova posted another YouTube video showing hundreds of Palestinian detainees gathered in a sports field, which we geolocated and verified as Gaza's Yarmouk stadium. Most of those in the video have been stripped to their underwear. Some are blindfolded and kneeling on the ground in ordered rows, while Israeli soldiers watch on. At one point, a group including three women detainees appear kneeling and blindfolded behind a football goal with an Israeli flag hung above it. Detainees appear in a video posted online by an IDF soldier , Detainees appear in a video posted online by an IDF soldier An Israeli soldier appears in the video several times, and appears aware he is being filmed. By comparing his uniform and insignia with other publicly available images of IDF uniform online, we identified him as lieutenant colonel, or battalion commander. Both videos were taken down from Mr Letova's public YouTube page soon after the BBC contacted the IDF. Code of ethics Two videos uploaded to Tiktok by another IDF soldier include pictures of blindfolded detainees, interspersed with images of soldiers posing with guns. One posted on 14 December, set to an Israeli rap song, includes an image of blindfolded detainees packed into a pick-up truck with a soldier posing next to them with his thumbs up. We identified the soldier from his other social media accounts as Ilya Blank. An IDF soldier stands on a pickup truck with blindfolded detainees An IDF soldier stands on a pickup truck with blindfolded detainees He posted a second video that includes an image of a blindfolded man on the floor, surrounded by what appear to be three IDF soldiers. We have located a number of the photos used in his videos to northern Gaza. After we contacted the IDF and TikTok, the videos were taken down. Article 13 of the Third Geneva Convention states they must be protected at all times, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against "insults and public curiosity". Dr Ellis says the key is "not creating a public curiosity" for prisoners of war and not "degrading them or humiliating them". He added: "The idea of walking people through in their underwear and filming that and sending it out certainly would violate that. "The rules that are set down would not in any way allow this type of act." Prof Asa Kasher, an Israeli academic who helped write the IDF's first code of conduct, said sharing the pictures of half-naked people was against the IDF's code of ethics. He said there could be a military need to briefly strip a detainee in order to check if they were armed, but that he could not see a reason for "taking such a picture and sharing it with the public". "The reason for holding them half-naked is to humiliate them," he said. Human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield said the footage should be assessed by a UN court. "There is a very severe restriction on on how you deal with people who are detained who are prisoners of war in a time of war or conflict, which this plainly is, and that provision is really one in which you are intended to treat prisoners with respect," he said. We sent six videos to TikTok, who confirmed that they were all in violation of their community guidelines. They said their guidelines were clear that content "that seeks to degrade victims of violent tragedies" was not tolerated. The videos have all since disappeared from the platform. A spokesperson for YouTube said it had removed tens of thousands of harmful videos and terminated thousands of channels during the conflict between Israel and Gaza, and that it had teams are working around the clock to monitor for harmful footage content.
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https://www.gadgets360.com/apps/news/apple-third-party-app-store-connect-support-testflight-changes-5026258 Apple has been making preparations to open the gates of iOS to allow third-party app marketplaces and apps on its platform in the European Union (EU). It recently rolled out the iOS 17.4 betas versions of the upcoming update that added support for alternative marketplaces. Now, the iPhone maker has released updates for App Store Connect and TestFlight apps to onboard these developers. It has also asked the alternative marketplaces to make submissions for the notarisation process for the third-party apps that will be made available on iOS. Announcing the changes to the two apps on its developer website, Apple said that developers in the EU can now add their marketplaces to the App Store Connect app that lets developers monitor their app's sales and downloads, reply to App Store reviews, get notifications for new reviews, and more. Similarly, changes have been made to the TestFlight app, which lets developers beta-test new features before rolling it out. But before alternative marketplaces can be added to the iOS ecosystem, the developers will have to agree to Apple's business terms and complete the notarisation process. According to a report by MacRumors, business terms include a core technology fee that Apple is charging both the marketplace and the app by the number of installs. Third-party marketplaces will have to pay EUR 0.50 (roughly Rs. 45) per instal, and apps will have to pay the same amount after completing one million instals. The notarisation process will also be important for third-party marketplaces and apps as Apple will determine whether an app is malicious or not. While a process like that is needed to ensure user safety from scammers and hackers, some have raised concerns about whether Apple will use this to disqualify competing apps and marketplaces. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, is among those who voiced their displeasure when Apple first announced the process. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), he called the payment by instals a “junk fee”. On the notarisation process, he said, “Epic has always supported the notion of Apple notarisation and malware scanning for apps, but we strongly reject Apple's twisting this process to undermine competition and continue imposing Apple taxes on transactions they're not involved in.”
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https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-electronic-music-human-rhythm.html Electronically generated rhythms are often perceived as too artificial. New software now allows producers to make rhythms sound more natural in computer-produced music. Research at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and at Harvard University forms the basis for new and patented methods of electronically generated rhythms according to patterns of musicians following fractal statistical laws. The process, which produces natural-sounding rhythms, has now been licensed to Mixed In Key LLC, whose music software is used worldwide by leading music producers and internationally renowned DJs. A product called "Human Plugins," which uses this technology, has now been launched. Nowadays, music is often produced electronically, i.e., without acoustic instruments. The reason is simple: pieces of music can be easily created and reworked without a recording studio and expensive musical equipment. All that is needed is a computer and a digital audio workstation (DAW), i.e., an electronic device or software for recording, editing and producing music. The desired sound for any software instrument from piano to drums is generated and reworked via the DAW. Much of the music, however, is produced with quantized, artificial-sounding loops that have no natural groove, and there is no standardized process to humanize them. Too high precision sounds artificial to the human ear. But randomly shifting sounds by a few milliseconds isn't enough—it just doesn't sound like a live musician playing this part on a musical instrument. Without the correct correlation between the time deviations of the beats, these usually sound bad to the human ear, or they are perceived as digital timing errors. The only option was to strive for very precise timing, which characterized the sound of music in the post-90s in almost all genres. The new "humanizing" method developed at the MPI-DS now makes it possible to add natural variances to electronic rhythms to create a more natural sound experience. A method based on this and developed at Harvard University, called "Group Humanizer," expands the scope of application to several instruments and makes the temporal deviations in the interplay of different electronic and acoustic instruments sound human, as if different musicians were playing together in the same room. Mixed In Key has further developed this technique and created a way to humanize audio channels and MIDI notes with a set of "Human Plugins" that are compatible with most major DAWs. Methodical research on natural variances The foundation for the new method was laid by Holger Hennig in 2007, then a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen under the direction of Theo Geisel, director emeritus at the institute. Hennig asked himself whether musicians' temporal deviations from the exact beat vary purely by chance or follow a certain pattern and what effect this has on the music perception. The deviations follow a fractal pattern. The term fractal was coined by mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975 and describes patterns that have a high degree of scale invariance or self-similarity. This is the case when a pattern consists of several small copies of itself. Fractals occur both as geometric figures and as recurring structures in time series, such as the human heartbeat. The drummer's rhythmic fluctuations follow statistical dependencies—not just from one beat to the next, but over up to a thousand beats. This results in a pattern of structures and dependencies that repeat over several minutes, known as long-range correlations, which are present on different time scales. How do these temporal deviations affect the way musicians play together? Results at Harvard University show that the interaction of musicians is also fractal in nature with so-called long-range cross correlations. "The next time deviation of a musician's beat depends on the history of the deviations of the other musicians several minutes back. Human musical rhythms are not exact, and the fractal nature of the temporal deviations is part of the natural groove of human music," says Holger Hennig. But what do these fractal deviations sound like? A piece of music composed specifically for this research was humanized in post-production. The piece was played to test subjects in different re-edited versions as part of a psychological study at the University of Göttingen: one version with conventional random deviations and another version with fractal deviations. The version with human fractal deviations was preferred by most listeners over conventional random deviations and was perceived as the most natural. New product for lively and dynamic rhythms Based on the article "When the beat goes off" in the Harvard Gazette, which caused a stir in the music scene in 2012, the London electronic musician James Holden contacted Hennig, who was then carrying out research at Harvard University. Together they further developed the theoretical foundations into a plugin written by James Holden for the software Ableton Live used worldwide. The so-called "Group Humanizer," which James Holden uses in his live shows and albums, focuses on the interaction of several MIDI tracks. Various computer-generated parts react to each other's temporal deviations and sound as if the instruments were being played by musicians performing together. The mutual exchange of information creates a stochastic-fractal connection and thus a natural musical movement, as if the recordings, which were generated separately, had been recorded together. Moreover, it is now possible that electronic instruments adapt in a natural manner in real-time to the performance of musicians. "The ability to integrate synthetic and human sound sources in a coherent manner that the Humanizer software has unlocked has let me access a new aesthetic in electronic/acoustic music," says James Holden. The Group Humanizer Plugin finally caught the attention of the company Mixed In Key. The company Mixed In Key LLC, based in Miami, U.S., develops and markets software for DJs and music producers, including the "Mixed In Key" suite. Mixed In Key has now licensed the humanizing patent developed at the MPI by Max Planck Innovation, the technology transfer organization of the Max Planck Society, as well as the Group Humanizer patent developed at Harvard University, and has developed a software plug-in called Human Plugins. "With the new Human Plugins, the humanization of electronic rhythms is taken to a completely new level. This software has the potential to become the standard in the field of music humanizing," says Yakov Vorobyev, president and founder of Mixed In Key LLC. This new plugin can be integrated into all common DAWs such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, FL Studio, Pro Tools and Cubase and humanize not only MIDI but also audio and wave audio tracks. The users only add one or several new audio tracks to the DAW, which enables the humanizing of several instruments at a time (e.g., drums, bass, piano). With the help of a knob, it is possible to determine the strength of humanizing, i.e., the height of the standard deviation of the shifts, which indicates the width of the Gaussian distribution determined by the researchers at the MPI-DS. In this way, a certain feel of rhythm can also be created depending on the style of music. "The basic research into fractals and their application in psychoacoustics has created a completely new area of research and the basis for a product with great economic potential that gives musicians completely new options for presenting their music. We are pleased that we were able to win Mixed In Key LLC, one of the most important companies in the music business, as a partner to ensure the worldwide distribution of this fascinating music post-production process," says Dr. Bernd Ctortecka, patent and license manager at Max Planck Innovation.
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https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/the-next-ai-focused-version-of-windows-is-windows-11-24h2-not-windows-12 Rumors about Windows 12 have been circulating for some time with some rumors pointing toward a 2H 2024 release for the new OS. However, Microsoft confirmed in a Windows Insider blog post that Windows 11 24H2 will be the next major feature update to arrive in 2024, all but shutting down rumors of a potential Windows 12 release in the back half of 2024. Microsoft never officially said Windows 12 was coming nor announced its existence in any way, but, there has been enough evidence to warrant speculation of a potential "Windows 12" release in 2024. Even the CEO of Qualcomm speculated that Windows 12 could be coming this year. Microsoft's roadmap for 2024 pointed toward massive updates to Windows 11 including big pushes to get AI integrated throughout the entire OS, inciting speculation that Microsoft might package all these new features into a new version of Windows, rather than carry it on into Windows 11. This logic comes from Microsoft's previous history with Windows 11, where it hid Windows 11's existence inside of Windows 10 right up until its launch. (Many core parts of it also came from the shelved Windows 10X). Windows 11 was originally classified as a Windows 10 feature update dubbed "Sun Valley", before being unveiled as Windows 11 in late 2021. But now we know for a fact this will not be the case. Microsoft's latest Windows Insider blog post cites that all builds starting with the number 26 in the Canary and Dev Channels will now be identified as Windows 11 version 24H2. 4. This doesn't change any of Microsoft's plans for 2024, all the features speculated to arrive in Windows 12 will be released under Windows 11's future 24H2 patch. 24H2 is expected to be a huge patch that will integrate AI throughout the entire OS, taking advantage of the new hardware-accelerated Neural Processing Units (or NPUs) found in all of the new "AI PCs" that were announced earlier this year. 24H2 will also be the only major feature update for Windows 11 for the entirety of 2024. Microsoft has decided to go back to an annual release cycle for Windows feature updates instead of releasing a major feature update every few months. That said, Windows 11 will still be supported with smaller feature drops known as "Moment" updates. It's probably a good idea that Microsoft didn't go through with Windows 12 anyway. Windows 11 is still struggling to gain adoption and is still not as po[CENSORED]r as Windows 10. Adding a third OS into the mix would fragment the Windows user base even more. Microsoft could still launch Windows 12 in the future, but it probably won't be this year.
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https://www.gamespot.com/articles/should-we-be-worried-about-xbox-spot-on/1100-6520977/ The Xbox ecosystem could be turned upside down if recent reports are to be revealed and, naturally, fans of Microsoft's gaming business have much to say about this. The responses to reports that the company is thinking about releasing its Xbox-exclusive games on PlayStation has elicited everything from reasoned discussion to outright rage. At this point, it's difficult to cut through the noise and consider all the perspectives, mostly because of the immediate and overwhelming reaction on social media platforms. So, on this episode of Spot On, Lucy and Tamoor break down everything that happened and discuss what it all means. They talk through the reports indicating Microsoft's drastic shift in business, as well as what it stands to gain and lose and the reaction from the Xbox fanbase. Spot On is a weekly news show airing Fridays in which GameSpot's managing editor Tamoor Hussain and senior producer Lucy James talk about the latest news in games. Given the highly dynamic and never-ending news cycle of the massive video game industry, there's always something to talk about but, unlike most other news shows, Spot On will dive deep into a single topic as opposed to recapping all the news. Spot On airs each Friday.
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https://gamerant.com/monopoly-go-all-cupid-cuties-rewards-milestones/ The two-day Retro Love event in Monopoly GO has ended, so the developers have replaced it with the brand-new Cupid's Cuties event. Beginning on Feb 9, it will be live for two days, so get ready for a 48-hour gaming extravaganza. It’s running alongside the Valentines Partners event, so tycoons would want to grab as many heart tokens as possible. In addition, gamers have a chance to snag up to 14,320 dice rolls by hitting all its milestones. This article will discuss everything you need to know about the Cupid's Cuties event in Monopoly GO. How to Play the Cupid's Cuties Event in Monopoly GO Players will have to gather pickups to get points during the Cupid's Cuties event, which are found on random tiles on the board. Collecting one pickup will reward players with two points. Activating roll multipliers can be a smart move, but be mindful that they use more dice rolls. As mentioned above, the Cupid's Cuties event will only be live for a short period, so act fast if you want to get all of the rewards. Here is a full list of all the rewards and milestones in the Cupid's Cuties event: Milestones Points Required Rewards 1 Five 70 Heart Tokens 2 10 15 Free Dice Rolls 3 10 Cash Prize 4 10 One-Star Sticker Pack 5 50 80 Free Dice Rolls 6 15 80 Heart Tokens 7 15 Cash Grab for 10 Minutes 8 15 One-Star Sticker Pack 9 20 120 Heart Tokens 10 130 200 Free Dice Rolls 11 25 Cash Prize 12 30 150 Heart Tokens 13 40 One-Star Sticker Pack 14 35 180 Heart Tokens 15 350 475 Free Dice Rolls 16 45 Rent Frenzy for 15 Minutes 17 45 Two-Star Sticker Pack 18 50 210 Heart Tokens 19 55 Cash Prize 20 725 825 Free Dice Rolls 21 50 230 Heart Tokens 22 55 Three-Star Sticker Pack 23 60 High Roller for 10 Minutes 24 70 250 Heart Tokens 25 1000 1000 Free Dice Rolls 26 70 Cash Prize 27 80 75 Free Dice Rolls 28 85 270 Heart Tokens 29 100 Four-Star Sticker Pack 30 800 Cash Prize 31 250 200 Free Dice Rolls 32 350 Cash Prize 33 400 300 Heart Tokens 34 1600 1400 Free Dice Rolls 35 500 Cash Boost for Five Minutes 36 550 Four-Star Sticker Pack 37 700 Cash Prize 38 800 350 Heart Tokens 39 3200 2700 Free Dice Rolls 40 850 Five-Star Sticker Pack 41 900 550 Free Dice Rolls 42 950 500 Heart Tokens 43 2800 Cash Prize 44 1000 800 Free Dice Rolls 45 1200 Cash Prize 46 1400 Five-Star Sticker Pack 47 1800 650 Heart Tokens 48 6,200 6,000 Free Dice Rolls
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https://www.pcgamer.com/final-fantasy-7-remake-director-would-give-an-emphatic-no-if-someone-asked-him-for-an-ff8-remake-and-ff8s-original-director-isnt-keen-either/ Call me an empath, but something tells me that remaking Final Fantasy 7 as a trilogy of slick, high-budget modern games is taking its toll on poor Naoki Hamaguchi, the remake's director. In a recent chat with IGN, Hamaguchi and Final Fantasy 8 director Yoshinori Kitase were presented with the idea of a similar remake for FF8. Hamaguchi took to the idea like a cat to a swimming pool. "If after we've finished the three games in the [FF7] trilogy," said Hamaguchi, "Mr Kitase then comes to me and says, 'Right, we're going to be remaking another numbered Final Fantasy game and you are on the project,' I'll just turn around and go, 'No!'" Kitase seemed to agree, even though FF8 was originally his own baby all the way back in 1999. "Trying to recreate that kind of volume of content you had in the RPGs back then in the modern day really is not something you can take up lightly," he said, "It's such a massive investment of time and effort that we really have to think very hard about taking on any kind of project like that." Well, that's that then. No Hamaguchi-helmed FF8 remake for you, and even one fronted by a different developer sounds unlikely. Still, that doesn't mean Kitase doesn't have ideas percolating about just what he'd do if Square Enix set him to remaking Squall and co's adventures. In particular, Kitase would like to "really rework the battle system" in a hypothetical FF8 remake. He referenced the game's Junction system, which saw you equip abilities from the games GFs (Guardian Forces, not girlfriends) to your stats in a way that wasn't quite as intuitive to RPG players as putting on bog-standard weapons and armour. "I think it was a very difficult system for some people to get into. Depending on player skills, sometimes they just didn't work out the best way of doing it," said Kitase, "I think I'd want to return to that and really rework the battle system… and make it something where that level of difficulty and approachability for some fans was a lot better balanced." I'm not a Final Fantasy expert—I've actually just finished playing the first game, as a real-life weirdo starting with Final Fantasy 1—so I can't tell you just how badly the Junction system needs reworking. But it sounds like both Hamaguchi and Kitase would quite like to work on something that won't swallow up a decade plus of their lives, which means I doubt we'll see an FF8 remake in the near future (or maybe ever). Still, if Square Enix does decide to give the game a reboot, at least Kitase already has some ideas in the tank.
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Nick movie: Nefarius Time: 2024 Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 1h 38 m Trailer:
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Musician Name: Micro TDH Birthday / Location: April 14 of 1999 venezuela Main instrument: Voice and guittar Musician Picture: Musician Awards & Nominations:- Best Performance: Besame sin sentir Other Information:-
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Artist: MILO J Real Name: Camilo Joaquín Villarruel Birth Date /Place: 25 october of 2006 Age: 17 Social status (Single / Married): single Artist Picture: Musical Genres: pop, trap, rap Awards:- Top 3 Songs (Names): fruto, al borde and fla Other Information:-
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Music title: MILO J- Fla Signer: MILO J Release date: 9 month ago Official YouTube link: Informations about the signer:- Your opinion about the track (music video):-
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Welcome back my friend <33333
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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68137220 Britain is ready to bring forward the moment when it formally recognises a Palestinian state, the foreign secretary has suggested. Lord Cameron said Palestinians had to be given a political horizon to encourage peace in the Middle East. He is beginning his fourth visit to the region since being appointed foreign secretary in November. The UK has a responsibility to set out what a Palestinian state would look like, he told a Westminster reception. The Palestinian people would have to be shown "irreversible progress" towards a two-state solution, Lord Cameron said. "As that happens, we - with allies - will look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations," he told the Conservative Middle East Council. "That could be one of the things that helps to make this process irreversible." Aid trucks queue to enter Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at Kerem Shalom crossing, Israel Lord Cameron has urged Israel to allow more humanitarian support into Gaza The foreign secretary also urged Israel to allow more humanitarian support into Gaza and said it was "ludicrous" that vital British and other aid was being sent back at the border. Lord Cameron said the last 30 years had been a story of failure for Israel because it had failed to provide security to its citizens. Only by recognising that failure, he said, would there be peace and progress. Foreign Secretary, David Cameron meets with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog Foreign Secretary David Cameron met President of Israel Isaac Herzog in November Britain has long supported a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians could live side by side in separate countries. But Lord Cameron is suggesting Britain could give formal, diplomatic recognition to a Palestinian state not as part of a final peace deal, but earlier, during the negotiations themselves. At the same time, there would have to be a new Palestinian authority "stood up quickly" with "technocratic and good leaders" able to govern Gaza, he said. Lord Cameron added: "Together with that, almost most important of all, is to give the Palestinian people a political horizon so that they can see that there is going to be irreversible progress to a two-state solution and crucially the establishment of a Palestinian state. "We have a responsibility there because we should be starting to set out what a Palestinian state would look like, what it would comprise, how it would work and crucially, looking at the issue, that as that happens, we with allies will look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations. "That could be one of the things that helps to make this process irreversible." As part of any long-term deal, the foreign secretary said Israel would need to see all hostages released, with a guarantee that Hamas could not launch attacks on Israel and its leadership had left Gaza. He said a deal would be "difficult" but not impossible. Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission in London, said Lord Cameron's comments were "historic", because for first time the UK was considering recognising a Palestinian state "as a contribution to a peaceful solution rather than an outcome". However, the idea of fast-tracking Palestinian statehood prompted anger from some Conservative MPs. Former minister Theresa Villiers told the Commons "bringing forward and accelerating unilateral recognition of Palestinian state would be to reward Hamas' atrocities". Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell said the government would not recognise a Palestinian state "bilaterally" but would do so "at a time when it best serves the objective of peace". The Israeli government has yet to comment. Foreign secretary supports 'sustainable ceasefire' and warns over deaths Israel should turn water back on in Gaza - Lord Cameron On the ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza, Lord Cameron said a pause in the fighting was needed now and there were "hopeful signs" about the negotiations under way. "There is a path that we can now see opening up where we really can make progress, not just in ending the conflict, but progress in finding a political solution that can mean peace for years rather than peace for months," he said. The real challenge would be to "turn that pause into a sustainable ceasefire without a return to the fighting, he said. "That is the prize we should be looking for, and more than that, not just how you go from pause to sustainable ceasefire, but how you go from there to a set of political moves and arrangements that could start to deliver the longer term political solution," Lord Cameron said. "Although it is incredibly difficult, although efforts in the past have failed, we cannot give up. "If the last 30 years tells us anything, it is a story of failure. "Ultimately it is a story of failure for Israel because yes, they had a growing economy, yes they had rising living standards, yes they invested in defence and security and walls and the rest of it, but they couldn't provide what a state most wants, what every family wants, which is security. "And so the last 30 years has been a failure. "And it is only by recognising that failure and recognising that true peace and progress will come when the benefits of peace and progress are greater than the benefits of returning to fighting."
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyx78e7xe8jo Two of three raccoons which escaped in Sunderland have been found, but one is still on the run. A trespasser let the animals out of their enclosure at Sunderland Training and Education Farm before Christmas, and they were spotted by people in the Pennywell area. On Friday night, Rocket and Pinch, the two female raccoons, could not resist the temptation of hot dogs left in a crate on the farm and were safely transferred to their newly-secured enclosure. But the male raccoon Meeko remains at large. Volunteers from Raccoon Rescue UK have been looking since before Christmas using humane traps which look similar to a slimmed down dog crate. They have food at one end and a trigger pad in the middle, which when pressed closes the crate door. They have used kibble, fruits, nuts and the trio’s favourite treat of hot dogs to entice them back. But Iain Jenkins from the group said it had not been a smooth ride, as they were outsmarted last week. “They came (the raccoons) on Thursday evening and being quite intelligent animals, they managed to get the food by tipping the trap over and accessing the food from underneath,” he said. The following day the team secured the empty trap the wall, ready for Friday’s recapture when they were caught “red-handed”, he said. Mr Jenkins believes they are close to catching Meeko too. “This time of year he will want to be where the females are," he said. "So his nose as well as his instincts will lead him back. It’s looking pretty good. I don’t think they’ll be a raccoon on the loose in Sunderland for much longer.”
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https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2024/01/29/2024-kawasaki-klx230sm-first-look-9-supermoto-fast-facts/ It’s update time for the smallest supermoto. The 2024 Kawasaki KLX230SM gets motor and chassis changes that should make it a quite different mount this year. Let’s see what Kawasaki has done to the little sumo. The geometry of the 2024 Kawasaki KLX230SM is radically different from that of the previous generation. The rake has been tucked in 1.6 degrees to 24.9 degrees, the trail reduced by nearly a half-inch to 3.0 inches, and the wheelbase shorted almost a half-inch to 353.7 inches. Expect the 300-pound motorcycle to be noticeably more agile for 2024. 2024 Kawasaki KLX230SM First Look: Price Much of the new geometry comes from reworking the suspension. Kawasaki shortened the fork travel by just over a half-inch to 7.4 inches while lengthening the rear wheel travel over two inches to 8.8 inches. The shock also gets a wider spring-preload adjustment range. The ground clearance is reduced by 0.4 inches to 8.7 inches, which shouldn’t bother anyone. Rather than running front-high, the KLX230SM is now crouched forward. A new subframe makes room for the additional rear wheel travel, yet sits lower. Despite the longer travel, the seat height is 0.2 inches lower for 2024, and that includes more padding for the seat, which sits 33.1 inches above the pavement and has a flatter profile. 2024 Kawasaki KLX230SM First Look: MSRP With the new two-tone seat and chassis attitude, the ergonomics have been massaged. The handlebar has been moved incrementally forward and sits higher, while the footpegs are moved back a bit. The tank and the plastic surrounding it are new, with fewer opportunities to interfere with your knees. The motor gets some torque enhancements. After the air flows through a narrower intake port, it finds a considerably smaller intake valve—33mm, down 4mm from last year. As the exhaust gases flow out, they are outed down a longer header pipe. The ECU is also remapped for improved torque production. 2024 Kawasaki KLX230SM First Look: For Sale You can pair your smartphone with the dash via Bluetooth and Rideology The App. Kawasaki’s free app alerts you to phone calls and performs various data-logging duties. The LED headlight is new, as is the sleeker cowling. ABS is now standard. There is no longer a non-ABS version of the KLX230SM. The 2024 Kawasaki KLX230SM has a $5599 price tag. If you stop by your Kawasaki dealer, you may see one on the showroom floor. You can have the KLX230SM in any color you like, as long as it’s Battle Gray. 2024 Kawasaki KLX230SM Specs ENGINE Type: Single-cylinder four-stroke Displacement: 233cc Bore x stroke: 67.0 x 66.0mm Compression ratio: 9.4:1 Valvetrain: SOHC; 2 valves Fueling: EFI w/ 32mm throttle body Cooling: Air Transmission: 6-speed Final drive: Chain CHASSIS Front suspension; travel: Non-adjustable inverted 37mm fork; 7.4 inches Rear suspension; travel: Linkage-assisted spring-preload adjustable shock; 8.8 inches Tires: IRC RX-01 Road Winner Front tire: 110/70 x 17 Rear tire: 120/70 x 17 Front brake: 300mm semi-floating petal disc w/ 2-piston caliper Rear brake: 220mm petal disc w/ single-piston caliper ABS: Standard DIMENSIONS and CAPACITIES Wheelbase: 53.7 inches Rake: 24.9 degrees Trail: 3.0 inches Seat height: 33.1 inches Ground clearance: 8.7 inches Fuel tank capacity: 2.0 gallons Curb weight: 300 pounds Color: Battle Gray 2024 Kawasaki KLX230SM Price: $5599 MSRP
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https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/68103490 Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes says England can deal with "extreme spin" if the rest of the series in India is played on pitches offering excessive turn. England are 1-0 up in the five-match series after winning an astonishing first Test by 28 runs in Hyderabad. They were in the same position three years ago, only to lose the next three Tests on pitches that turned sharply. "Quite a few of the lads have a gameplan that will do well on those pitches," said Surrey gloveman Foakes. England's win in the first Test was only India's fourth defeat in 47 home matches. On a pitch that turned, but rarely dramatically, the tourists overturned a 190-run first-innings deficit thanks mainly to Ollie Pope's epic 196 and 7-62 by debutant spinner Tom Hartley. In 2021, England comfortably defeated India in the first Test on an incredibly flat pitch in Chennai. With vastly different surfaces prepared for the remainder of the series, England struggled against India's spinners and did not manage a total above 205 in any of the last three Tests. "That first Test was played on a flat wicket and then they went to raging 'bunsens'," said 30-year-old Foakes. "All three were probably the worst pitches I've batted on." Hartley hopes for 'respect' after incredible debut We've given India something to think about - Wood TMS podcast: England's greatest overseas win? Even though England still lost 14 wickets to spin in Hyderabad, the tourists were able to put the home attack under huge pressure. With the likes of Pope and Ben Duckett utilising all manner of sweeps and reverse-sweeps, the second innings was the first time in four years that both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who will miss the second Test through injury, conceded more than 100 runs. And Foakes says England, under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, have a much different approach to tackling India's skilful spinners than 2021. The second Test in Visakhapatnam, starting on Friday, could be played on a pitch that spins more than the first Test. "It's more of a mindset shift of how to go about it, because in those conditions the bowler is massive favourite to win the contest," said Foakes. "It's how many blows you can put in. "Before there was a fear of getting out and that put us in our shells. Now it's not worrying that you are getting out and accepting that you probably are on those sorts of surfaces. You can actually go and dominate at times as well." Foakes returned to the England XI in Hyderabad for the first time since February. In the home summer, Jonny Bairstow kept wicket as England looked to pack their batting line-up during the Ashes. However, with Harry Brook missing for personal reasons, Bairstow is playing as a specialist batter and Foakes has returned behind the stumps. "I obviously found missing the Ashes difficult," said Foakes, who has played 21 Tests for England. "With my career in England being in and out a lot it wasn't as if I was shocked. It sucks getting dropped, but I have come back a few times. I've proved I can come in and out so I definitely don't think that as much now."
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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68123202 Disposable vapes are set to be banned as part of plans to tackle the rising number of young people taking up vaping, the government says. Measures will also be introduced to prevent vapes being marketed at children and to target under-age sales. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggested adult smokers trying to quit would still have access to alternatives like vapes under the proposals. The ban is expected to be introduced across the UK, the government said. It is already illegal to sell any vape to anyone under 18, but disposable vapes - often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging than refillable ones - are a "key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping", according to the government. Figures from the Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) charity suggest 7.6% of 11 to 17-year-olds now vape regularly or occasionally, up from 4.1% in 2020. Announcing the plans on Monday, Mr Sunak said it was right that "strong action" was taken to stamp out vaping in children. "Children shouldn't be vaping, we don't want them to get addicted, we still don't understand the full long-term health impacts," he said. The UK Vaping Industry Association said vapes had helped "millions of adults quit and stay off cigarettes", and said the proposals would put children at risk by "turbocharging the black market". Mr Sunak suggested the proposals struck the right balance between restricting access for children and maintaining access for adult smokers trying to quit smoking. Vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, but it has not been around for long enough for its long-term risks to be known, according to the NHS. line More on vaping and disposable vapes How dangerous is vaping and what is the disposable vape ban? Never start vaping, says girl with lung damage Vapes '95% safer' than cigarettes messaging backfired High lead and nickel levels found in illegal vapes Warning a child could die due to drugs in vapes Vapes 10 times legal size seized at ports line The vapour that is inhaled can still contain small amounts of chemicals that are found in cigarettes, including nicotine - which is addictive but not seen by the health service as one of the most problematic ingredients in cigarettes. The proposals follow last year's announcement of a ban on the sale of cigarettes to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 as part of an attempt to create a "smoke-free generation". Former prime minister Liz Truss criticised the proposed ban, describing it as "profoundly unconservative". Sir Keir Starmer asks why the government has been slow to act on banning disposable vapes. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told the BBC she was confident the new bill regarding vapeswould pass Parliament by the time of the general election - expected to be this year - with it coming into force in early 2025. Once the timing is confirmed, retailers will be given six months to implement it. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he supported a disposable vapes ban but criticised what he described as a two-year delay by the government in introducing legislation. The bill could be brought in using existing legislation designed to protect the environment. Campaigners have long argued that disposable vapes are wasteful and that the materials and chemicals used to make them, including their lithium batteries, make them difficult to dispose of safely. Vape cigarettes in woman hand - stock photo The latest changes would also introduce powers to stop refillable vapes being sold in a flavour marketed at children and to require that they be produced in plainer, less appealing packaging. The government will also be able to mandate that shops display refillable vapes out of sight of children and away from other products they might buy, like sweets. A further public consultation will take place to decide which flavours should be banned and how refillable vapes will be sold, the government said. To help stop under-age sales, additional fines will be brought in for any shops in England and Wales caught selling vapes illegally to children. Glyn Potts, head teacher of Oldham's Newham Catholic College, said action needed to be taken to stop children being "bombarded" with "attractive" products on social media and in shops. He also told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was evidence that some vape pens had been repurposed to contain "cannabis derivatives" which he claimed could hospitalise young people. Vaping alternatives like nicotine pouches - small white pouches that are placed between the lip and gum - will also be banned for children. The pouches release nicotine but do not contain tobacco, so can currently be legally sold to under-18s. The Scottish and Welsh governments both said they would introduce bans, either with legislation in their own parliaments or by supporting UK-wide measures. Northern Ireland remains without a devolved administration following a breakdown of power sharing, but its Department of Health said it had "a long-standing strategic aim" to be tobacco-free and would make preparations to allow incoming ministers to take a decision on the ban. The UK has joined a small group of countries planning to ban disposable vapes. Australia, France, Germany and New Zealand have all announced similar plans, although only New Zealand has so far implemented them. Some will argue the UK's plans still don't go far enough. There have been calls for a tax on e-cigarettes to bring them in line with tobacco, while Australia has made vapes available only by prescription. 'Desperate attempt' Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said creating a "smoke-free generation" would reduce young people's chances of developing preventable diseases in later life. But the UK Vaping Industry Association said it was "dismayed" by the announcement, adding that disposable vapes had "played a key role in helping millions of adults quit and stay off cigarettes". It instead called for better enforcement of current laws, describing the proposals as a "desperate attempt by the government to sacrifice vapers for votes" which would put children at greater risk by "turbocharging the black market". Elf Bar - one of the country's biggest vape manufacturers with sister brand Lost Mary - said it supported the government's wish to stop children using vapes but expressed disappointment "with the outright ban". The UK arm of the British American Tobacco, the third-largest player in the disposable market, suggested increased controls on "importation, appeal, and access" would "more effectively reduce under-age use". Trading Standards officers say more resources and time is needed to help crack down on rogue retailers. Local authorities can impose a maximum fine of £2,500 and the government announced a £30m package to support enforcement in October.