Tuesday, July 28

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Irish leader Simon Harris preparing for any ‘economic shock’ under Trump presidency | Politics News
Business

Irish leader Simon Harris preparing for any ‘economic shock’ under Trump presidency | Politics News

Ireland's Taoiseach Simon Harris says he is setting aside "significant funds" to protect the country from any economic shock under Donald Trump's presidency.But the Fine Gael leader, whose party is seeking a historic fourth consecutive term in Friday's general election, remains hopeful of retaining good trade relations. President-elect Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on EU imports and appointed a commerce secretary who has vowed to entice US multinationals back from Ireland. In the first of Sky News' leader interviews ahead of the election, Mr Harris said: "I think president Trump does mean what he says in terms of his position in relation to trade and tariffs. "And I think president Trump has received a very large mandate in terms of the outcome of the US presidential election....
Taylor Swift ticket costs spur ‘Bad Blood,’ calls for price-gouging probe – National
Entertainment, Movies

Taylor Swift ticket costs spur ‘Bad Blood,’ calls for price-gouging probe – National

As Toronto continues its ‘Love Story’ with Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour, set to head next week to British Columbia, some are urging action over allegations of price-gouging by resellers and ticketing practices that have left some fans with ‘Bad Blood.’ On sites like StubHub, a single ticket for Taylor Swift’s Friday concert in Toronto is at minimum $4,654, while on SeatGeek it’s $4,500 for the 500-level seats.Some have been priced as high as $33,000.That’s not including Ticketmaster where you need a fan code to get one of the tickets made recently available for the same-day show. But those prices are why politicians like NDP MP Brian Masse are calling for action by governments to prevent future concert-goers from facing sky-high prices.“Going to a concert or an event is sometimes a speci...
Horse’s head and pregnant cow used in ‘barbaric’ mafia threat in Sicily
World News

Horse’s head and pregnant cow used in ‘barbaric’ mafia threat in Sicily

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN The incident occurred in Atofonte, which is near Sicily's capital, Palermo. Photo: 123RF / kavalenkau The discovery of a severed horse head, and a cow quartered with its bloodied dead calf on top, have rattled a Sicilian town, with authorities treating the incident as a mafia threat. The dead animals were discovered on the property of a building contractor in the town of Altofonte, near Palermo, police told CNN. The gruesome scene was reminiscent of the 1972 film The Godfather where a character wakes up to find a decapitated head of a horse in his bed. The contractor, who is not being named to protect him during the ongoing investigation, told police that he had not received any threats prior to the discovery of the dead livestock, who were kept on an adja...
Russia ready to hit UK with wave of cyber attacks, minister will warn | UK News
Business

Russia ready to hit UK with wave of cyber attacks, minister will warn | UK News

Russia is prepared to launch a wave of cyber attacks on Britain - and can "turn the lights off for millions of people", a minister will warn.Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will tell a NATO conference next week allies must "not underestimate" the threat Moscow poses in its "hidden war". Russia has targeted British energy infrastructure and "won't think twice" about taking aim at businesses, he will say, as part of an attempt to degrade states supporting Ukraine."With a cyber attack, Russia can turn the lights off for millions of people. It can shut down the power grids," he will say in remarks first reported by The Sunday Telegraph."Be in no doubt: the United Kingdom and others in this room are watching Russia. "We know exactly what they are doing, and we are countering t...
Ukraine hit with surge of attacks using North Korean missiles with Western chips
World News

Ukraine hit with surge of attacks using North Korean missiles with Western chips

By Daria Tarasova-Markina, Lauren Kent, Nick Paton Walsh and Victoria Butenko, CNN Russia has fired around 60 North Korean KN-23 missiles at Ukraine this year. Photo: Korean Central News Agency / AFP Ukraine has been hit by a surge in Russian ballistic missile attacks, around a third of which used North Korean weapons that can only fly because they run on Western circuitry, obtained despite sanctions, according to Ukrainian military officials. Russia has fired around 60 North Korean KN-23 missiles at Ukraine this year, according to a Ukrainian defence official. That accounts for nearly one in three of the 194 ballistic missiles fired so far in 2024, a CNN tally of attacks publicly acknowledged by Ukraine's air force shows. August and September saw a spike in ballistic missile attacks...
COP29 strikes last ditch deal on funding for climate measures in vulnerable countries | Science, Climate & Tech News
Business

COP29 strikes last ditch deal on funding for climate measures in vulnerable countries | Science, Climate & Tech News

The COP29 climate talks have reached a last ditch deal on cash for developing countries, pulling the summit back from the brink of collapse after a group of countries stormed out of a negotiating room earlier.The slew of deals finally signed off in the small hours of Sunday morning in Azerbaijan includes one that proved hardest of all - one about money. Eventually the more than 190 countries in Baku agreed a target for richer polluting countries like the UK, EU and Japan to drum up $300bn a year by 2035 to help poorer nations both curb and adapt to climate change.It is a far cry from the $1.3trn experts say is needed, and from the $500bn that vulnerable countries like Uganda had said they would be willing to accept.But in the end they were forced to, knowing they could not afford to live w...
COP29 clinches $300 billion climate finance deal
World News

COP29 clinches $300 billion climate finance deal

By Kate Abnett, Valerie Volcovici and Karin Strohecker, Reuters Attendees walk past the COP29 logo during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 21 November 21, 2024. Photo: AFP Countries agreed on Sunday to an annual finance target of $300 billion (NZ$514b) to help poorer countries deal with impacts of climate change, with rich countries leading the payments, according to a hard fought deal clinched at the COP29 conference in Baku. The new goal is intended to replace developed countries' previous commitment to provide $100 billion (NZ$171b) per year in climate finance for poorer nations by 2020. That goal was met two years late, in 2022, and expires in 2025. The agreement was criticised by developing nations, who called it insufficient, but Unit...
Kayaker in Tasmania has leg amputated after becoming ‘wedged’ between rocks in river | World News
Business

Kayaker in Tasmania has leg amputated after becoming ‘wedged’ between rocks in river | World News

A man in his 60s has had his leg amputated after becoming "wedged" between rocks while kayaking in Tasmania.The tourist, who had been kayaking with friends on the Australian island, was partially submerged in the Franklin River when he became stuck on Friday afternoon, police said. A distress call was made through a smartwatch about an hour later, with multiple emergency services including police, paramedics, the charity Surf Life Saving Tasmania and the Tasmania Fire Service attending the scene. Several attempts to successfully free him were made during the afternoon and overnight as the man was "made as comfortable as possible".Police said a medical assessment the following morning "determined the patient's condition was deteriorating" and after a consultation "the decision was made to a...
Missing aviator Amelia Earhart’s ‘plane’ turns out to be ‘just a pile of rocks’
World News

Missing aviator Amelia Earhart’s ‘plane’ turns out to be ‘just a pile of rocks’

By Taylor Nicioli, CNN Amelia Earhart standing under the nose of her Lockheed Mode 10-E Electra Photo: Wikipedia The disappearance of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart more than 87 years ago has remained one of the most captivating mysteries in history, with a handful of explorers devoted to scouring the seas for any clue to her final whereabouts. Sonar imagery captured in January revealed a plane-shaped anomaly on the seafloor about 161km from the Pacific Ocean's Howland Island - the next location where Earhart was expected to land before she was declared lost at sea. The detection renewed a worldwide interest in the mystery and left many questioning whether Earhart's missing Lockheed 10-E Electra had finally been found. After returning to the site on November 1, Deep Sea Vision - a...
Protests across France call for end to ‘sexist and misogynistic’ culture amid mass rape trial | World News
Business

Protests across France call for end to ‘sexist and misogynistic’ culture amid mass rape trial | World News

In Paris, protesters gathered in their thousands to deliver one message: violence and sexual violence against women must stop."It's a sexist and misogynistic country but we are starting to speak out," Miranda tells me. "Stopping the violence against women is a fight we need to make every day," another one woman adds. Image: Miranda said France is a 'sexist and misogynistic country' Among the crowd, people hold banners reading: "My body, my choice, my right."Many demonstrators have been inspired to speak out following several high-profile trials, in particular that of Gisèle Pelicot. Image: Gisèle Pelicot arrives to attend the trial of Dominique Pelicot. Pic: Reuters ...