X, formerly known as Twitter, is facing increasingly strong competition. The social media platform was for a long time the only one in the niche of short text-based posts. However, in recent years, direct alternatives such as Threads and BlueSky have emerged. It seems that the exodus of X users is not only helping BlueSky, as Threads has received 35 million signups during November 2024. A few weeks ago, a group of X users initiated a campaign to “move” to alternative platforms. The people in question did not agree with the current management of X. Some of that user base reached out to BlueSky, eager to give the social network an opportunity. The company revealed that, by mid-November, they had around almost 15 million users compared to 9 million in September. Threads reportedly got 35 million new signups this month Now it is Threads that boasts new user registrations. According to Engadget , a Threads spokesperson told them that they reached 35 million signups during this month of November 2024 alone. Adam Mosseri—CEO of Instagram—had revealed in the middle of the month that November registrations totaled 15 million users at that time. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, revealed to investors that Threads has a total of 275 million monthly active users. By “active,” we assume he refers to users who continuously access and use the service. On the other hand, BlueSky still has a long way to go to catch up with both Threads and X. BlueSky has surpassed 20 million total users BlueSky just surpassed the barrier of 20 million total users. However, to be fair, Threads is supported by the Meta conglomerate behind it. This is not the first time that Threads has received millions of disgruntled X users. A few weeks ago, Elon Musk’s social network changed its policies related to user blocking and AI training. In the following hours, Threads reported a wave of half a million new registrations. Plus, X’s ban from Brazil brought 2 million new registrations to Threads.Packham resigns as RSPCA president after animal cruelty claims at approved farms
LONDON (AP) — Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League with a 1-0 home win against Ipswich on Friday. Mikel Arteta’s side is six points behind leader Liverpool, which has a game in hand. Second-bottom Ipswich had won two of its last three away games but was up against it from the start at the Emirates. The visitors did not have one touch in the Gunners’ box during the first 45 minutes and, although Ipswich showed signs of life after the break, it was Arsenal which continued to dominate the game, marshaled by Declan Rice in midfield. Kai Havertz got the only goal midway through the first half when he knocked in a cross from Leandro Trossard. Havertz, Rice, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus all had chances but none of them could add to Arsenal’s tally. “It’s so tough, every team is tough to break down," Havertz said. "They fight for each other and at the end we’re very proud for the win.” Arsenal is a point above third-place Chelsea and two points clear of season surprise team Nottingham Forest in fourth. Brighton had most of the chances but could not find the net in a 0-0 draw with Brentford that extended the south coast club’s winless run to six league games. It was a frustrating night for the home side and especially Julio Enciso. The Paraguay striker had a host of opportunities to score but couldn’t make them count. Along with Southampton, Brentford has the worst away record in the league with seven losses and two draws and it was easy to see why in this toothless performance. Brentford had an early goal from Yoane Wissa ruled out for offside and, although it came a bit more into the game in the second half, it failed to pressure Icelandic goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, who made his Premier League debut eight minutes before halftime when Mark Flekken went off with a thigh injury. One bright spot for the home side was the return of winger Solly March. He came on as a late substitute to make his first appearance for Brighton since injuring a knee against Manchester City 14 months ago. The result leaves Brighton in 10th place with 26 points, one spot and two points ahead of the Bees. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerFrom Christmas to Krismas
Wildlife TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham has resigned as president of the RSPCA after an investigation made allegations of animal cruelty at some of the charity’s approved abattoirs. Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has also resigned as vice-president of the animal welfare organisation, with both of them expressing their “sadness” over leaving the roles. It comes after an Animal Rising investigation made claims of cruelty at “RSPCA Assured” slaughterhouses in England and Scotland, with the campaign group sharing footage of alleged mistreatment. RSPCA Assured is a scheme whereby approved farms must comply with the organisation’s “stringent higher welfare standards”, according to its website. Mr Packham shared the news of his resignation on social media, saying: “It is with enormous sadness that I have resigned from my role as president of the RSPCA. “I would like to register my respect and admiration for all the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to protect animals from cruelty.” Ms Lucas said she and Mr Packham failed to get the charity’s leadership to act. She posted on X, formerly Twitter: “With huge sadness I’m resigning as VP of the RSPCA, a role I’ve held with pride for over 15 years. “But their Assured Schemes risk misleading the public & legitimising cruelty. “I tried with @ChrisGPackham to persuade the leadership to act but sadly failed.” In June, the RSPCA commissioned an independent review of 200 farms on its assurance scheme which concluded the scheme was “operating effectively” to assure animal welfare on member farms. Following Animal Rising’s release of footage last week, the charity said it was “appalled” by what was shown, adding that it launched an immediate investigation and suspended three slaughterhouses from the scheme. In the wake of Mr Packham and Ms Lucas’ resignations, an RSPCA spokesperson said it is “simply not true” that the organisation has failed to take urgent action. They said: “We agree with Chris and Caroline on so many issues and have achieved so much together for animals, but we differ on how best to address the incredibly complex and difficult issue of farmed animal welfare. “We have discussed our work to drive up farmed animal welfare standards openly at length with them on many occasions and it is simply not true that we have not taken urgent action. “We took allegations of poor welfare incredibly seriously, launching an independent review of 200 farms which concluded that it was ‘operating effectively’ to improve animal welfare. “We are taking strong steps to improve oversight of welfare, implementing the recommendations in full including significantly increasing unannounced visits, and exploring technology such as body-worn cameras and CCTV, supported by £2 million of investment.” The charity insisted that while 94% of people continue to choose to eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy, it is the “right thing to do” to work with farmers to improve the lives of animals. “RSPCA Assured visit all farms on the scheme every year, but last year just 3% of farms were assessed for animal welfare by state bodies,” the spokesperson continued. “No-one else is doing this work. We are the only organisation setting and regularly monitoring animal welfare standards on farms. “We have pioneered change through RSPCA Assured, which has led to improvements throughout the industry including CCTV in slaughterhouses, banning barren battery cages for hens and sow stalls for pigs, giving salmon more space to swim and developing slower growing chicken breeds who have better quality of life.”PHC 0 St George’s 2 St George’s Colts captain Kashae Hall’s first-half penalty and substitute Jahron Dickinson’s late goal ended their side’s three-match winless streak, dealing Premier Division defending champions PHC a second consecutive defeat last night. Hall put the East Enders ahead from the penalty spot in the 39th minute after Ne-Jai Tucker was brought down in the box by Eusebio King-Mills. Dickinson, who replaced Senoj Mitchell in the 67th minute, sealed the victory two minutes from time, slotting home from a Tucker pass. The second win of the season lifted St George’s to fifth in the standings with eight points, while PHC remained third on 12 points. Hall attributed the victory to improved unity in a side that had recently shown signs of fracturing when results went against them. Before last night’s triumph, St George’s last tasted victory on 6 October, with a 3-1 win over Young Men’s Social Club. “We stayed positive throughout the whole game,” Hall told The Royal Gazette. “Before, we were too negative with each other, but today we encouraged each other and stayed positive. “I missed a couple of chances, but our defensive work was strong and helped us secure the win. This result gives us great motivation for our next match against Devonshire Colts. We’re going into that game feeling strong.” PHC coach Quincy Hunt backed his team to recover from the defeat, which saw them miss an opportunity to keep pace with title rivals North Village. “It’s not a setback for us; we just need to regroup,” Hunt said. “We were in the same position last season, so it’s not like we don’t know what we’re doing. We just have to refocus. “Congratulations to St George’s – they came to play, and they won the game. As coach, I take full responsibility for the loss. Being rescheduled didn’t make a difference. We were at home, and we should have performed better.” St George’s started brightly, with their captain forcing Quinaceo Hunt into a good save seven minutes into the match. Jahiem Iris came close for PHC in the 19th minute when he charged at goal but failed to generate enough power to trouble Jahquill Hill. Blaize Hall had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the 21st minute. Jonas Schroder drew Hunt off his line, but with the goal gaping, the Bermuda forward sent his effort wide. Six minutes before the break, St George’s silenced the home crowd when Hall confidently converted from 12 yards. The visitors continued to trouble PHC in the second half, with Hall narrowly missing out on a brace in the 54th and 63rd minutes. As PHC fought for an equaliser, Tucker displayed excellent ball control before setting up Dickinson, who finished clinically to secure all three points for the visitors. SCORERS St George's Colts : K Hall 39 pen, Dickinson 88 PHC (4-2-3-1): Q Hunt 6 – D Usher 6, D Lodge 6, E King-Mills 6, D Smith-Lightbourne 6 – D Smith Davis 6 (sub: S Trott, 68), K Abraham 6 – T Showers 5 (sub: J Ebbin, 68), H Eve 5 (sub: E Russell, 59) J Iris 6 – Wade 5 (sub: D Wainwright, 59). Substitutes not used : R Simmons, K Bean, J Hasell. Booked : Eve St George's Colts (4-3-3): J Hill 7 – J Bassett 6 (sub:, A Simons, 82), O Bascome 6, J Schroder 7, N Paynter 7 – K Minors 5 (sub: C Neal, 82), Q Maynard 6, K Hall 8 – B Hall 8 (sub: M Simmons, 87), S Mitchell 6 (sub: J Dickinson, 67), N Tucker 8. Substitutes not used : I Gibbons, T Tucker, D Lodge. Booked : Maynard, Bassett, Hill, Simmons Referee : N Keito (Jamaica)