Xiaomi Automotive Achieves Strong Growth Momentum with Annual Sales Exceeding 130,000 UnitsTyne and Wear Metro chiefs remain hopeful of making digital tickets available on iPhones, after years of frustration. Transport bosses have been urged to finally deliver a “seamless” experience for Apple users who are currently unable to keep Metro tickets on their phone. A Pop card app allowing customers to buy and store tickets was released for Android phones in 2020, but has remained off limits for iPhones. That means that many passengers have no choice but to obtain a physical Pop card if they want to access its cheaper travel prices, worth up to £1.60 per day, or be left to pay more expensive rates when buying paper tickets from a machine. Conservative and Labour councillors in North Tyneside united on Thursday night in calling for Metro operator Nexus to resolve the problem and deliver the upgrade. A motion from Tory councillor Ian McAlpine complained that the Metro’s payment system “needs further improvement to match the modern experience in places like London and Manchester”. Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East with our free newsletter Nexus has previously explained that the technology required to store a Pop card has only been available to use via Google Pay and not in the Apple Wallet. However, it told the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Friday that Apple is now planning to roll out the tech to its UK devices and that the Metro wants to become an “early adopter” – with plans to upgrade Metro station gates in 2025. David Bartlett, head of multimodal smart ticketing at Nexus, said: “We remain committed to rolling out Metro’s mobile smart ticketing offer to Apple iPhones. We want more customers to enjoy Pop Pay As You Go on a wide variety of digital wallets, such as those on Apple devices. “Although available in other countries, products such as Oyster and Pop cannot currently be stored in the Apple Wallet. However, Apple has announced its intention to bring that functionality to the UK. We hope to be an early adopter of this technology when it becomes available. “An upgrade to our ticketing and gating systems will be required in order to achieve this. This includes new smartcard readers for our gates and validators. This stage of the project is in progress, and we expect the new readers to be installed during the first half of 2025.” Metro passengers are also not able to tap in and out at stations using contactless credit or debit cards, whether physical or digital, as users of the London Underground and Manchester’s tram system can. Coun McAlpine’s motion, passed unanimously by the council, warned that people are increasingly reliant on digital wallets and that the lack of iPhone access leaves some passengers paying “over the odds due to the necessity in many cases to purchase physical tickets at machines”. He added: “As well as having to queue every journey to use the machine, they also have to know in advance whether or not they'll be making a return journey. POP cards remove this complexity because the resident always benefit from the lowest, capped, fare.” Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone. To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice . CLICK HERE TO JOIN
In a world where digital manipulation and filters reign supreme, Wen Yongshan's face serves as a reminder of the timeless beauty of simplicity. There is a purity to her features, a clarity that is both refreshing and rare in our modern age. When bathed in the soft glow of film, her face takes on a luminous quality that is nothing short of captivating, drawing us in and refusing to let go.
Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weight
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A scruffy little fugitive is on the lam again in New Orleans, gaining fame as he outwits a tenacious band of citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets and a tranquilizer rifle. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt that's mostly terrier, has become a folk hero, inspiring tattoos, T-shirts and even a ballad as he eludes capture from the posse of volunteers. And like any antihero, Scrim has a backstory: Rescued from semi-feral life at a trailer park and adopted from a shelter, the dog broke loose in April and scurried around the city until he was cornered in October and brought to a new home. Weeks later, he'd had enough. Scrim leaped out of a second-story window, a desperate act recorded in a now-viral video. Since then, despite a stream of daily sightings, he's roamed free. The dog’s fans include Myra and Steve Foster, who wrote “Ode to Scrim” to the tune of Ricky Nelson’s 1961 hit, “I’m a Travelin’ Man.” “I'm a travelin' dog and I've made a lot of stops/All over this town...” Leading the recapture effort is Michelle Cheramie, a 55-year-old former information technology professional. She lost everything — home, car, possessions — in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath, found her calling rescuing pets. “I was like, ‘This is what I should be doing,’” Cheramie said. “I was born to rescue.” She launched Zeus’ Rescues, a nonprofit shelter that now averages 600 cat and dog adoptions a year and offers free pet food to anyone who needs it. She helped Scrim find the home he first escaped from. It was Cheramie's window Scrim leaped from in November. She's resumed her relentless mission since then, posting flyers on telephone poles and logging social media updates on his reported whereabouts. She's invested thousands of dollars on wildlife cameras, thermal sensors and other gear. She took a course offered by the San Diego Zoo on the finer points of tranquilizing animals. And she's developed a network of volunteers — the kind of neighbors who are willing to grid-search a city at 3 a.m. “...And at every stop I own the heart, of at least one lovely ... " People like writer David W. Brown, who manages a crowd-sourced Google Map of all known Scrim sightings. He says the search has galvanized residents from all walks of life to come together. As they search for Scrim, they hand out supplies to people in need. “Being a member of the community is seeing problems and doing what you can to make life a little better for the people around here and the animals around you,” Brown said. And neighbors like Tammy Murray, who had to close her furniture store and lost her father to Parkinson's disease. This search, she says, got her mojo back. “Literally, for months, I’ve done nothing but hunt this dog,” said Murray, 53. “I feel like Wile E. Coyote on a daily basis with him.” Murray drives the Zeus' Rescues' van towards reported Scrim sightings. She also handles a tactical net launcher, which looks like an oversized flashlight and once misfired, shattering the van's window as Scrim sped away. After realizing Scrim had come to recognize the sound of the van's diesel engine, Murray switched to a Vespa scooter, for stealth. “...If you're ever in the 9th Ward stop and see/My cute little mini poodle ...” Near-misses have been tantalizing. The search party spotted Scrim napping beneath an elevated house, and wrapped construction netting around the perimeter, but an over-eager volunteer broke ranks and dashed forward, leaving an opening Scrim slipped through. Scrim's repeated escapades have prompted near-daily local media coverage and a devoted online following. Cheramie can relate. “We’re all running from something or to something. He's doing that too,” she said. Cheramie's team dreams of placing the pooch in a safe and loving environment. But a social media chorus growing under the hashtag #FreeScrim has other ideas — they say the runaway should be allowed a life of self-determination. The animal rescue volunteers consider that misguided. “The streets of New Orleans are not the place for a dog to be free,” Cheramie said. “It’s too dangerous.” "... and my Shar-Pei doll down in old Treme/Waits for my return ..." Scrim was a mess when Cheramie briefly recaptured him in October, with matted fur, missing teeth and a tattered ear. His trembling body was scraped and bruised, and punctured by multiple projectiles. A vet removed one, but decided against operating to take out a possible bullet. The dog initially appeared content indoors, sitting in Cheramie's lap or napping beside her bed. Then while she was out one day, Scrim chewed through a mesh screen, dropped 13 feet to the ground and squeezed through a gap in the fence, trotting away. Murray said Cheramie's four cats probably spooked him. “I wholeheartedly believe the gangster-ass cats were messing with him,” Murray said. Cheramie thinks they may have gotten territorial. Devastated but undeterred, the pair is reassessing where Scrim might fit best — maybe a secure animal sanctuary with big outdoor spaces where other dogs can keep him company. Somewhere, Murray says, “where he can just breathe and be.” ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96 Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.As the dust settled on the Olympic tennis tournament, international media outlets began compiling their lists of the year's top cold-list surprises, highlighting the most unexpected results and breakthrough performances. Among the various upsets and underdog victories that made the cut, it was Zheng Qianwen's triumph over Svitolina that stood out as the clear winner, earning her the prestigious title of the biggest cold-list surprise of the year.
Furthermore, it highlights the critical role that law enforcement agencies play in ensuring the safety and security of our communities. Their swift and decisive action in this case has brought a measure of justice to the victim and sends a clear message that such criminal activities will not be tolerated.
Saudi authorities seizes Captagon drugs worth millions of dollarsGreed, the first character in the triumvirate, symbolizes the insatiable pursuit of wealth and power that has corrupted individuals and institutions across Taiwanese society. From corrupt officials embezzling public funds to unscrupulous businessmen exploiting laborers, greed has fueled a culture of selfishness and inequality, widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Charged of alleged $265 mn bribe plot New Delhi: The combined market valuation of all ten listed Adani Group firms fell sharply by Rs 2.19 lakh crore on Thursday, more than double of what the conglomerate had lost when the US short seller Hindenburg brought out a damning report in January 2023. Shares of Adani Group firms fell sharply as billionaire Gautam Adani was charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay $265 million (about Rs 2,200 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts. Adani, India’s second-richest man, and seven others including his nephew Sagar have been charged with paying bribes to unidentified officials of state governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to buy expensive solar power, potentially earning more than $2 billion profit over 20 years. Adani Group denied charges of paying bribes, saying the allegations by US prosecutors are baseless. The group said it is compliant with all laws. It said all possible legal recourse will be sought. “The allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied,” the group spokesperson said in a statement. The stock of the group’s flagship firm, Adani Enterprises, plunged 22.61%, Adani Energy Solutions tanked 20%, Adani Green Energy plummeted 18.80%, Adani Ports dived 13.53%, Ambuja Cements cracked 11.98% and Adani Total Gas tumbled 10.40% on the BSE. Shares of Adani Wilmar declined 9.98%, Adani Power slumped 9.15%, ACC fell 7.29% and NDTV dipped 0.06%. Meanwhile, Kenya’s President William Ruto said on Thursday that he has cancelled multimillion-dollar airport expansion and energy deals with Gautam Adani after the US bribery and fraud indictments. Ruto said in a state of the nation address the decision was made “based on new information provided by our investigative agencies and partner nations”, without naming the United States. The Adani Group had been in the process of signing an agreement that would modernise Kenya’s main airport in the capital, Nairobi, with an additional runway and terminal constructed, in exchange for the group running the airport for 30 years. The widely criticised deal had sparked anti-Adani protests in Kenya and a strike by airport workers, who said it would lead to degraded working conditions and job losses in some cases. The Adani Group had also been awarded a deal to construct power transmission lines in Kenya, East Africa’s business hub.Why Apple Watch Sticks to Glass: Exploring the Optics of Adhesion
The investigation into Nvidia's dealings raises important questions about the intersection of business, technology, and geopolitics in the modern era. As countries around the world grapple with the implications of an increasingly interconnected and interdependent global economy, the role of companies like Nvidia in shaping the future of key industries has come under increased scrutiny. The regulatory response to Nvidia's proposed acquisition of Arm will set an important precedent for how governments and regulators approach competition and national security concerns in the tech sector.