What's open and closed for Christmas and Christmas Eve?A Dublin City Councillor who accompanied Conor McGregor to his High Court hearing on Friday, where a jury found he had assaulted Nikita Hand, has resigned as a member of his political party. Cllr Philip Sutcliffe (Sr) sat between Dee Devlin and James Lawrence as he joined McGregor’s family in the courtroom to hear the verdict read out. Sutcliffe was photographed accompanying McGregor into court on Friday alongside Devlin, McGregor’s mother Margaret, sister Aoife and father Tony. A former boxer and two-time Olympian, he has coached McGregor in the past. He defeated the outgoing Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste, to take a seat in Dublin City Council for Ballyfermot/Drimnagh in June when he ran as an Independent Ireland candidate. Conor McGregor (second left), with friends and family including Cllr Philip Sutcliffe (front, wearing cap) arriving at the High Court in Dublin on Friday. Photo: PA Conor McGregor leaves High Court with partner Dee Devlin after losing civil rape case However, in a statement issued this afternoon, Independent Ireland said Cllr Philip Sutcliffe (Snr) is no longer a member of the party. “Following a meeting with a senior party official today, Cllr Philip Sutcliffe (Snr) has tendered his resignation to the leadership of Independent Ireland,” the statement reads. “The leadership of the Party has accepted his resignation. “As we understand it, Cllr Sutcliffe is continuing in politics as a non-party representative. “He is continuing his general election campaign and if elected will take up a seat in Dáil Éireann as a non-party TD.” In June, the newly-elected councillor thanked Conor McGregor’s beer brand for “sponsoring his campaign”. In a post on social media, he said that his campaign had been “sponsored” by the MMA fighter’s beer brand. “I also want to thank the mammies and daddies of Crumlin boxing club,” he said on a video on social media. “I also want to thank Forge Stout for sponsoring me.” McGregor wrote under the video: “Hero.” The 64-year-old who has twice represented Ireland at the Olympics in boxing and won two national titles coaches out of Crumlin Boxing club and has worked with McGregor throughout the years. After Mr Sutcliffe announced that he was seeking election, McGregor said: "Coach Sutcliffe! Vote INDEPENDENT!"
CHARLESTON, S.C. , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the leading provider of software for powering social impact, today filed a Form 8-K with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stating that the Company concluded a material pre-tax noncash impairment charge, which may be up to approximately $415 million , is required for its EVERFI asset group and will be recorded during the fourth quarter of 2024. As previously disclosed, due to EVERFI performing below expectations, Blackbaud is considering a range of alternatives for EVERFI, one of which includes a potential divestiture of the business. The impairment charge was determined to be necessary as part of this process. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.HONG KONG, Dec. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prestige Wealth Inc. PWM ("PWM", or the "Company"), a wealth management and asset management services provider based in Hong Kong, today announced that, on December 16, 2024, it completed its acquisition of all shares of InnoSphere Tech Inc ("InnoSphere Tech"), a company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. PWM also announced that, on December 16, 2024, it completed its acquisition of all shares of Tokyo Bay Management Inc ("Tokyo Bay"), a company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. About Prestige Wealth Inc. Prestige Wealth Inc. is a wealth management and asset management services provider based in Hong Kong, assisting its clients in identifying and purchasing well-matched wealth management products and global asset management products. With a focus on quality service, the Company has retained a loyal customer base consisting of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients in Asia. Through the Company's wealth management service, it introduces clients to customized wealth management products and provides them with tailored value-added services. The Company provides asset management services via investment funds that it manages and also provides discretionary account management services and asset management-related advisory services to clients. For more information, please visit the Company's website: http://ir.prestigewm.hk . About InnoSphere Tech InnoSphere Tech is a technology company that leverages its advantages in web scraping technology to collect data on finance, wealth management, and related industries according to international standards. Through the accumulation and processing of large amounts of data, its system can train a specialized large model tailored for the wealth management industry, providing robust foundational support to clients in the financial sector that surpasses traditional general-purpose large models. About Tokyo Bay Tokyo Bay is a company based in Tokyo, Japan. Founded by experienced professionals, the Tokyo Bay team has accumulated extensive premium client resources and local market knowledge over the past years, providing wealth management services, family affairs services, lifestyle management services and related value-added services to high-net-worth clients in Japan. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Rolling out new criminal laws, CAA major tasks of MHA in 2024
Stock market today: Wall Street’s rally stalls as Nasdaq pulls back from its record
Viasat Completes Sale of Energy Services Systems Integration BusinessJim Alexander: They talk about “winning the press conference” – shorthand for an acquisition or coaching hire that’s more splash than substance. Given Bill Belichick’s historic reticence with the media, I’m not sure that’s what the University of North Carolina did Wednesday. But win the announcement? No doubt. Hiring the 72-year-old Belichick , winner of six Super Bowls in New England and also famously reluctant to share decision-making duties, to his first college coaching job seems weird at first glance, and also at second and third. Asking a guy who referred to America’s favorite photo sharing app as “Instaface” a while back – which is actually, I believe, a Belichick running joke – to try to connect with young people for whom social media is almost more important than eating? Good luck with that. But this isn’t as nutty as it appears, in my mind, for one reason: College football is becoming more professionalized by the day. NIL agreements, the transfer portal, players represented by agents, a future where schools themselves will pay the players, and maybe even unionization down the road? Guys whose whole careers have been spent in college football are starting to wonder if they can handle these changes. So why not bring in an NFL coach to help with this transition? Especially one with the résumé of Belichick? It’s a risk, but who’s to say he can’t handle the transition to coaching 18- to 22-year-olds better than college football lifers can when it comes to dealing with agents, rustling up NIL money, etc.? And yes, I realize there’s a slight flaw in that logic, because Chip Kelly was both a college and a pro head coach, and we saw how little energy he directed toward NIL matters and how far back it set UCLA’s program. Will Belichick lean into it with more energy? We’ll see. What do you think, Mirjam? They’re already putting up betting propositions – in this case, at BetOnline.ag – on not only North Carolina’s record under Belichick this coming season but how many power conference transfers will come to UNC (the over/under is four), how many years he’ll stay (21⁄2, or half his contract), and – get this one – What will happen first with Bill Belichick’s 20-something girlfriend? Enroll in classes at UNC or date a UNC football player? Yeesh! Mirjam: Wait, are there really odds on that last one? Oh boy. You mentioned Chip Kelly, and I’ve also been thinking about his up-and-down track record, in college and the pros, since he caught lightning in a bottle at Oregon. Also about Deion Sanders, who has been anything but traditional in how he’s approached his job at Colorado – making recruits come to him, being up front about treating the transfer portal as free agency – and how that has transformed the Buffs from doormat to contender in two short years. And how before that, he was at Jackson State from 2020 to 2022. But Belichick doesn’t have the charisma Coach Prime does. Sure, he’s got his own aura as the NFL’s greatest modern coach, and if he wants control – which is a large piece of why he hasn’t been invited to coach another NFL team – he’d have it as a college coach, where reports are that UNC will increase its NIL package for football to $20 million from $4 million. But will he be too blunt for today’s college player, who isn’t contractually obligated to stay anywhere longer than a year? Too honest and critical in his assessments? Will he simply pass on the fanfare and glad-handing that’s supposed to be required of college coaches? We’re gonna find out. But if I were betting, I wouldn’t bet on North Carolina becoming a powerhouse under Belichick. Or even on Belichick loving the gig, because you can take the amateurism out of college football, but still it’s not the NFL. Jim: I’d take the under on the 21⁄2 years, and that has nothing to do with age or energy. Trust me, I’m the last guy who would call someone too old to do whatever. But college football is different, especially in that region of the country. I saw something a while back in the Washington Post which suggested that the hatred for rivals in college football is a feature and not a bug. And that intensity of emotion extends to everything involving the sport, which is why alumni and boosters play such a large role. Let Belichick start out, say, 2-4, and see what the reaction is. Yeah, NFL fans can be rabid, but it’s nothing compared to the way emotions seesaw in college football nation. All of that said, I stand on the premise that the changes in college football – in all of college sports – require an adjustment in the way coaches and athletic departments do business, and I’m not sure the old idea of the program as the coach’s fiefdom applies any longer. More programs in football and basketball are hiring “general managers,” which are positions to oversee NIL payments and the groups that make them – and, ultimately, the disbursements from the schools themselves – and probably also will have a role in player personnel matters. As an aside, the one guy I’m sure – positive, actually – could handle this transition seamlessly has been teaching classes at USC this fall. Pete Carroll made the switch from pro to college the first time and built a dynasty, made the switch from college back to the NFL and built a Super Bowl champ in Seattle, and if he wanted to and felt up to it I’m sure he could handle the new era of college football. (And let’s hear no talk about extra benefits or the like during Carroll’s USC run. You really don’t think stuff was happening elsewhere? The beauty of today’s system is that everything everywhere is above the table now.) Next subject: Is the transfer portal out of control? Is it approaching, or has it already gotten to, the point where there’s too much movement and requires some additional limitations? Old friend Lane Kiffin came out and said what I’m sure lots of other people in the game are thinking: The timing – the combination of the transfer portal opening and early signing day right around the time teams are preparing for bowl or playoff games – is “dumb.” He’s right, but it’s another consequence of a sport that has no leadership and thus has become pure chaos. How do we solve this? I say the first step would be to make Kiffin college football’s first commissioner, but that’s just me. Mirjam: It’s a whirlwind, for sure. Utter chaos. And that free agency is happening on the eve of bowl games tells you everything you need to know about how little college football values bowl games anymore. There’s something to be said for giving athletes agency in a game where coaches come and go all the time. There’s something to their being categorized as employees and given rights as employees, free to give notice and change jobs when they find a better one. Shoot, the non-athletic regular people studying on college campus known as students are free to transfer schools whenever they like, too. But there’s also something to be said about the grass not always being greener. We’ve heard stories about programs allegedly reneging on payment promises, for one. And despite whatever tampering abounds, athletes have to be careful before jumping into the portal with both feet – and it’s doubtful most of them are, considering how incredibly many are transferring. Like, will starting from scratch – or maybe not scratch, but as a player whose last situation didn’t work out – be for the best? Will they really end up in a better situation when the music stops and everyone’s fighting for a seat? Maybe, every case will be its own. It’s hard to know in a scene so chaotic. So, yes, Lane Kiffin, or a conference commission – as Chip Kelly suggested – or some entity helping create and enforce transfer guidelines would sure help everyone. Jim: My suggestion, beyond having someone – anyone – fully in charge of all of the sport’s various stakeholders? Employment, and contracts. This is something the NCAA is resisting with all of its might, while hoping for Congress to hand out an antitrust exemption. But it might be the only way to restore sanity to the process. Make players employees, with signed contracts – could be one year, could be two, could be four years for true stars, could include option years. The system would allow players free agency but would also give programs a certain amount of certainty from year to year, as opposed to a coach walking into the locker room after the final regular-season game and wondering how many of these guys will opt to stay. Another advantage: Those contracts would include bowl games, and there would be no more sitting out just because. That’s something that drives college football people crazy. And we have to understand: College football is a different beast from every other sport on campus. Other sports may come up with different rules. Other levels – Group of Five, mid-major basketball schools, etc. – will have different needs and require different rules as well. But again, a leadership vacuum at the top helps nobody, aside from FOX and ESPN. Before we go, however, we must note that 2024, the first year without the Pac-12 as we knew it, turns out to have been a statement on behalf of college football in the West. Oregon – your alma mater, Mirjam – is the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Fellow Pac-12 refugee Arizona State is in the mix as champion of the Big 12 and the Sun Devils’ coach, Kenny Dillingham, is a former Oregon guy. Boise State will represent the Mountain West (and future reconstituted Pac-12) in the field. Meanwhile, three of the four Heisman Trophy finalists are from the West – Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. Makes me miss the old Pac-12 a little more. Mirjam: Right?! How ’bout them Ducks? Both top-ranked/seeded Oregon and Dillingham. Season’s not over yet, but what a showing by the westerners ... and what that tells me is, yes, it’s a shame the Pac-12 is no more. Related Articles But also, Oregon – with its 14 transfers in starting roles and a reported $23 million in NIL money – is good at playing the modern game. And so too is Dillingham, who has used a few of his postgame press conferences as marketing opportunities, making direct pitches to Arizona businesses to funnel money into the program: “If you had fun watching [Cam Skattebo] play and make those plays, it was there all night ... because it’s a different day and age in college football. And if that was something that we want to continue to do, then what’s that saying? Pay the man his money, right? Isn’t that a saying? Pay the man his money. Pay these guys what they deserve to be paid because right now our team is underpaid. We’re doing more with guys who just got it out the mud, but eventually you should get what you deserve. Our guys deserve more ...” Now imagine Belichick making that kind of pitch.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% for its fourth loss in the last six days. It's a pause for the index, which has been rallying toward one of its best years of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 234 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its record set the day before. A report early in the morning said more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected. A separate update, meanwhile, showed that inflation at the wholesale level, before it reaches U.S. consumers, was hotter last month than economists expected. Neither report points to imminent disaster, but they dilute one of the hopes that's driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year: Inflation is slowing enough to convince the Federal Reserve to keep cutting interest rates, while the economy is remaining solid enough to stay out of a recession. Of the two reports, the weaker update on the job market may be the bigger deal for the market, according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. A surge in egg prices may have been behind the worse-than-expected inflation numbers. "One week doesn't negate what has been a relatively steady stream of solid labor market data, but the Fed is primed to be sensitive to any signs of a softening jobs picture," he said. Traders are widely expecting the Fed will ease its main interest rate at its meeting next week. If they're correct, it would be a third straight cut by the Fed after it began lowering rates in September from a two-decade high. It's hoping to support a slowing job market after getting inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower rates would give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. A cut next week would have the Fed following other central banks, which lowered rates on Thursday. The European Central Bank cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point, as many investors expected, and the Swiss National Bank cut its policy rate by a steeper half of a percentage point. Following its decision, Switzerland's central bank pointed to uncertainty about how U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's victory will affect economic policies, as well as about where politics in Europe is heading. Trump has talked up tariffs and other policies that could upend global trade. He rang the bell marking the start of trading at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday to chants of "USA." On Wall Street, Adobe fell 13.7% and was one of the heaviest weights on the market despite reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company gave forecasts for profit and revenue in its upcoming fiscal year that fell a bit shy of analysts'. Warner Bros. Discovery soared 15.4% after unveiling a new corporate structure that separates its streaming business and film studios from its traditional television business. CEO David Zaslav said the move "enhances our flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities," raising speculation about a spinoff or sale. Kroger rose 3.2% after saying it would get back to buying back its own stock now that its attempt to merge with Albertsons is off. Kroger's board approved a program to repurchase up to $7.5 billion of its stock, replacing an existing $1 billion authorization. All told, the S&P 500 fell 32.94 points to 6,051.25. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 234.55 to 43,914.12, and the Nasdaq composite sank 132.05 to 19,902.84. In stock markets abroad, European indexes held relatively steady following the European Central Bank's cut to rates. Asian markets were stronger. Indexes rose 1.2% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai as leaders met in Beijing to set economic plans and targets for the coming year. South Korea's Kospi rose 1.6% for its third straight gain of at least 1%, as it pulls back following last week's political turmoil where its president briefly declared martial law. In the bond market, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 4.33% from 4.27% late Wednesday.Man accused of shooting at car Sunday in Rock Island told police it was self-defense
California residents on edge as high surf and flooding threats persist on Christmas Eve
NEW YORK , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Report with the AI impact on market trends - The global software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) market size is estimated to grow by USD 13.66 billion from 2024 to 2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 29.02% during the forecast period. For comprehensive forecast and historic data on regions,market segments, customer landscape, and companies- Click for the snapshot of this report Report Attribute Details Base Year 2023 Forecast period 2024-2028 Historic Data for 2018 - 2022 Segments Covered Product (Solutions and Services), End-user (Service providers and Enterprise customers), and Geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa) Key Companies Covered Arista Networks Inc., Aryaka Networks Inc., Bigleaf Networks Inc., Cato Networks Ltd., Cisco Systems Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., FatPipe Networks Inc., flexiWAN Ltd. , Forcepoint LLC, Fortinet Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Juniper Networks Inc., Lumen Technologies Inc., Nokia Corp., Oracle Corp., Palo Alto Networks Inc., Riverbed Technology Inc., Versa Networks Inc., VMware Inc, Cisco Systems, Inc.; Oracle Corporation; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company.; Nokia Corporation; VMWare, Inc.; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; Juniper Networks, Inc.; Fortinet, Inc.; Citrix Systems, Inc.; Ciena Corporation; Epsilon Telecommunications; Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson; BT; NEC Corporation; Tata Communications Regions Covered North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Region Outlook 1. North America - North America is estimated to contribute 37%. To the growth of the global market. The Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market report forecasts market growth by revenue at global, regional & country levels from 2017 to 2027. The SD-WAN market in North America is experiencing significant growth due to increasing consumer and enterprise data traffic. Factors driving this trend include the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, rising investments in artificial intelligence (AI), and the implementation of autonomous technologies across businesses. Additionally, the growth of autonomous vehicles and the resulting IP traffic expansion, fueled by increasing mobile data consumption and high-bandwidth applications, are contributing to the market's growth. The US and Canada lead data center investments in North America due to their supportive environments for 5G-enabled IoT solutions, high connectivity and bandwidth, favorable tax policies, and low electricity tariffs. For more insights on North America's significant contribution along with the market share of rest of the regions and countries - Download a FREE Sample Segmentation Overview Get a glance at the market contribution of rest of the segments - Download a FREE Sample Report in minutes! 1.1 Fastest growing segment: Businesses can securely connect their users to applications using a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), which allows the combination of various transport services like MPLS, LTE, and broadband internet. Managed SD-WAN services, offered by managed service providers (MSPs) or communications service providers (CSPs), provide the necessary networking, transport, hardware, and software for delivering applications or services, such as branch connectivity with specified SLAs. Regular maintenance is crucial for SD-WAN's optimal performance, and providers often offer additional services for setup, integration, and maintenance. The services segment is expected to drive the growth of the global SD-WAN market during the forecast period. Research Analysis The Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for WAN simplification and cost savings. SD-WAN enables businesses to efficiently manage and optimize their network resources, making it an ideal solution for handling the exponential growth of cloud IP traffic. With the advent of 5G, SD-WAN is set to become even more crucial for businesses dealing with large amounts of data, such as those in healthcare, energy and utilities, and transportation and logistics. SD-WAN offers improved reliability and bandwidth efficiency compared to traditional Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks. It is particularly beneficial for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and industries dealing with high-volume data, such as industrial IoT (IIoT), smart cities, and edge computing. Moreover, SD-Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and AI-driven network security are essential features of SD-WAN, ensuring secure connectivity for businesses dealing with sensitive data. Operating costs are also reduced through the adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and hybrid cloud solutions. The future of SD-WAN lies in its ability to adapt to emerging technologies like 5G, RAN, and mobility, making it a vital component of digital transformation strategies. Market Overview The SD-WAN market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for WAN simplification and cost savings. Traditional approaches to managing network infrastructure for enterprises, such as Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), are being replaced with SD-WAN networks for their bandwidth efficiency and ability to handle exabytes (EB) and zettabytes (ZB) of cloud IP traffic. SD-WAN networks provide reliability and agility, enabling digital transformation for various industries, including SMEs, healthcare, transportation and logistics, energy and utilities, and more. The integration of 5G, Radio Access Networks (RAN), and advanced technologies like AI, big data, and edge computing, further enhances SD-WAN's capabilities. Cost savings, network security, and application performance are key benefits of SD-WAN, making it an attractive option for enterprises looking to optimize their network infrastructure and improve user experience. The market for SD-WAN is expected to grow as more businesses adopt cloud-based services, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and hybrid cloud platforms. Despite the advantages, SD-WAN deployment can face reliability issues and cybersecurity concerns. Network links, including wireless, broadband, and Internet, must be secure to protect employees, corporate applications, servers, and resources. ZTNA and IoT are also essential considerations for SD-WAN networks. Overall, the SD-WAN market offers enterprises a cost-effective, efficient, and secure solution for managing their network infrastructure and supporting their digital transformation initiatives. Start exploring market insights by Download a FREE Sample Report in minutes! Key Topics Covered: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Venodr Landscape 11 Vendor Analysis 11.1 Cisco Systems, Inc 11.2 Oracle Corporation 11.3 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company 11.4 Nokia Corporation 11.5 VMWare, Inc 11.6 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd 11.7 Juniper Networks, Inc 11.8 Fortinet, Inc 11.9 Citrix Systems, Inc 11.10 Ciena Corporation 11.11 Epsilon Telecommunications 11.12 Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson 11.13 BT 11.14 NEC Corporation 11.15 Tata Communications 12 Appendix About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sd-wan-market-37-growth-from-north-america-report-on-how-ai-is-driving-market-transformation---technavio-302328865.html SOURCE TechnavioAt least 179 people have been killed after a passenger plane skidded and crashed while trying to land at Muan International Airport in South Korea in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. The Boeing 737-800 Jeju Air flight crash-landed at an airport in South Korea on Sunday. Rescue team carry the body of a passenger at the site of a plane fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea [Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo] A total of 179 of the 181 people onboard the flight were killed, with just two survivors, both cabin staff, pulled from the burning wreckage. The plane landed at Muan International about 290km southwest of the capital Seoul. Video footage has been released of the plane seen skidding off the runway and crashing into a wall in a fiery explosion. Flight 2216 had been returning from Bangkok, Thailand with six crew and 175 passengers, many of them holidaymakers. Distraught families gathered in the airport’s arrival hall in tears, as they waited for bodies to be identified. Some of those killed have only been identifiable by their fingerprints. Maeng Gi-su, 78, told the BBC his nephew and his nephew’s two sons had been on the plane. It was the family’s first trip abroad, to mark the youngest son finishing his college entrance exams. “I can’t believe the entire family has just disappeared. My heart aches so much,” he said. The passengers included 173 South Koreans and two Thai nationals. They were aged between 3 and 78, although most were in their 40s, 50s and 60s, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. The National Fire Agency reported that the crash is believed to have been caused by “contact with birds, resulting in malfunctioning landing gear” as the plane attempted to land at the airport. The South Korean government has declared seven days of national mourning over the plane crash. Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been ordered to investigate if Thai passengers were on the plane and to provide “assistance immediately”, the prime minister said in a post on social media. Jeju Air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005, issued an apology for the crash, saying it would “do everything in our power in response to this accident. Author Recent Posts Former US President Jimmy Carter Dies at 100 - December 30, 2024 South Korea plane crash kills 179 in one of country’s worst aviation disasters - December 30, 2024 NZ:Hero mum dies saving daughter and nephew from rip at a Northland Beach - December 28, 2024 RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR Former US President Jimmy Carter Dies at 100 A Beautiful Christmas Message from His Highness the Head of State of Samoa St Joseph’s College Appoints New Principal LEAVE A REPLY
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Groups seek release of ailing Iloilo detaineeChina has unveiled its next-generation high-speed train, the CR450 prototype, which has set a new global benchmark by reaching test speeds of 450 km/h. The train surpasses the current CR400 Fuxing trains, which operate at 350 km/h, making it the fastest train in the world, according to state media reports. About the High-speed train The CR450 was developed following extensive research and development that began in 2021, focusing on safety, energy efficiency, and passenger comfort. It features significant advancements, including a streamlined design that reduces energy consumption by over 20% and an optimized braking system to ensure stability and safety at high speeds. Two prototype models, the CR450AF and CR450BF, have been revealed, each featuring an eight-car formation with advanced technologies such as water-cooled permanent magnet traction systems and high-stability bogies. These innovations improve the train’s energy efficiency and performance. According to the China State Railway Group, the CR450 is expected to shorten travel times significantly. For example, the Beijing-Shanghai journey, which currently takes 4.5 hours, could be reduced to just over three hours. Further testing and refinement are underway to ensure the train’s readiness for commercial service, with a launch anticipated as early as next year. In addition to speed and efficiency, the CR450 prioritizes passenger experience with features such as increased cabin space, noise reduction technologies, and adjustable storage for bicycles and wheelchairs. Advanced materials like carbon fiber contribute to its reduced weight and superior energy efficiency, aligning with China’s sustainability goals. The unveiling of the CR450 reinforces China’s position as a global leader in high-speed rail technology. The country currently boasts the world’s largest high-speed rail network, with 47,000 kilometers of operational tracks connecting major cities. While not all routes are profitable, the network has significantly boosted economic and social development. China’s high-speed rail expertise has also been exported globally, with projects in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Serbia. ALSO READ: Mysterious Water Flow In Jaisalmer Forces Evacuations As Tubewell Digging In Taragarh Village
