JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER has waded in on the upcoming crunch German election by throwing his support behind Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and the legacy the Chancellor leaves behind in the European Union.
Read more here Daily Express :: World Feed
Last Updated: 17/07/21 7:25pm
Alun Wyn Jones made a successful comeback from his dislocated shoulder as the British and Irish Lions warmed up for their series against South Africa with a 49-3 victory over the Stormers.
Three weeks after sustaining an injury that appeared to have ended his tour, Jones completed 27 minutes as a second-half replacement at Cape Town Stadium.
The Wales skipper carried and made several tackles, absorbing blows to his left shoulder, and appeared to come through unscathed to place him in contention to start against the Springboks next Saturday.
Luke Cowan-Dickie played himself into Test reckoning with a rampaging display at hooker that bristled with confrontation and was complete with turnovers, hard carries and a try before he was replaced early in the second-half.
Duhan Van Der Merwe also advanced his claim and – although the tackle-busting wing failed to get on the score sheet – he impressed with his power, footwork and appetite for work.
Scrum-half Ali Price and flanker Tadhg Beirne also gave Warren Gatland well-timed nudges given the Test team is picked on Sunday, but overall it was the least-satisfying win of the tour against opponents missing eight players on South Africa duty.
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The Lions engineered seven tries, but they looked more destructive against previous provincial opponents the Sigma Lions and the Sharks than on this afternoon of fragmented play that saw the forwards take charge.
Gatland’s tourists at least bounced back from their defeat to a Test-quality South Africa ‘A’ on Wednesday and were left purring over the composure shown by debutant Marcus Smith, who ripped the Stormers to shreds late on.
It was the Stormers who drew first blood when Tim Swiel landed a penalty and the Lions found themselves in the unusual position of trailing to provincial opposition.
That changed in the 29th minute after Tadhg Furlong burst through the middle of the home defence on a turnover ball and a move taken on by Beirne and Josh Adams finished when Price sent Adam Beard over.
The Stormers were being exposed without the ball as they fell apart at a maul, enabling Cowan-Dickie to maraud forward, break a tackle and touch down with an outstretched arm.
And there was still time in the first-half for another try as the Lions pressed once more, Price and Van Der Merwe doing the initial damage before Beard and Stuart Hogg sent Jonny Hill over.
When play resumed, the tourists came under early siege that forced successive penalties for offside, but the Stormers could not capitalise on their first assault on the whitewash.
Smith and Daly used sharp passing and smart lines to conjure a try for Jack Conan at the other end, the Ireland number eight showing his athleticism to cross.
Jones and the whole new front row came on in the 54th minute and at the next scrum the Stormers won a penalty and the Lions had to wait another 13 minutes to score their next try when Zander Fagerson pounced from close range.
They saved their best for last, however, with Smith’s searing break from inside his own 22 setting up a try for Louis Rees-Zammit before Sam Simmonds finished a sweeping move.
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This post originally posted here SkySports | News
Delta Air Lines has reported a $ 652 million profit for the three months to June.
The figure was buoyed by $ 1.5 billion in government benefits related to the first and second payroll support program extensions.
Revenue for the quarter stood at $ 6.3 billion, down 49 per cent from the same period in 2019.
The airline generated $ 1.9 billion of operating cash flow, $ 1.5 billion of free cash flow and $ 195 million of free cash flow in the June quarter.
“With the best employees and operation in the industry and an accelerating demand environment, we achieved significant milestones in the quarter including a solid pre-tax profit in the month of June,” said Ed Bastian, Delta chief executive.
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“Looking forward, we are harnessing the power of our differentiated brand and resilient competitive advantages to drive towards sustainable profitability in the second half of 2021 and enable long-term value creation.”
He added: “Domestic leisure travel is fully recovered to 2019 levels and there are encouraging signs of improvement in business and international travel.
“With the recovery picking up steam, we are making investments to support our industry-leading operation.
“We are also opportunistically acquiring aircraft and creating upside flexibility to accelerate our capacity restoration in 2022 and beyond in a capital-disciplined manner.”
Over the next three months, Delta said it expects passenger capacity will be down 28 to 30 per cent and revenue off 30 to 35 per cent, compared with the same period in 2019.
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This post originally posted here Breaking Travel News
Star Wars hero Rey Skywalker (Ridley) walked away from Episode Nine – The Rise of Skywalker as the only Jedi left in the universe. The character saved the galaxy by defeating Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and ending the Dark Side’s reign. However, Star Wars leaker Mike Zeroh claims she will be making a triumphant return in an upcoming Disney Plus TV show.
READ MORE: Star Wars: Boba Fett star praises Jon Favreau and teases future
Zeroh has frequently made claims about what is coming next for the Star Wars franchise, but has not always been correct – so it is recommended you take his reports with a grain of salt.
With that said, Zeroh’s latest video has him detailing what is said to be Disney’s next big Star Wars TV show.
The YouTuber has said the new live-action Tv event is going to show off a “major redesign” of Rey.
On top of this, he added Rey would be making a “cameo appearance” but would not be making a “significant dedication” to the series.
What do you think? Should Rey Skywalker make a return to the series? Join the debate in the comments section here
The interesting part of this report is that Rey’s cameo is said to be reminiscent of Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) in the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian.
During the episode in question, Luke arrived to save Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu / Baby Yoda from a horde of killing machines – thus expanding his storyline in the process.
Zeroh said: “The series is said to also involve a big tease of Rey’s new Jedi Order.
“[It] will give fans a glimpse of what the Jedi Order is set to be like after Episode Nine.”
Daisy said: “I mean, never say never. I’m always open to a revisit. But also the beautiful thing is it’s this wonderful, huge universe with all of these stories that have yet to be told.
“I think there’s a lot of cool things to be made before any potential revisit.”
Daisy added: “I don’t think it’ll ever feel properly like goodbye because it’s such a wonderful little web of people.
“It’s a really nice club to be a part of. Plus, I had such a good time. I loved my experience. In terms of revisiting the character, I think that’s a bye-bye for now.”
Rey’s return is yet to be officially announced or revealed, but Disney will likely announce a new slate of films and TV shows later this year.
Considering The Rise of Skywalker left many questions unanswered in her story, it would be safe to assume fans will see Rey at some point in the future.
Whether she will be returning alongside the likes of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is another question entirely.
The Star Wars saga is available on Disney Plus now.
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This post originally posted here Daily Express
Even with normal alcohol serving times in Oslo, there were no major problems related to noise and unrest in the capital on Saturday night.
The alcohol serving stop at midnight was lifted from midnight on the night of July 5, and this weekend was thus the first without restrictions.
NTB’s photographer saw a lot of people in Karl Johans gate and the surrounding areas, but there was no significant noise or unrest.
This is also in line with the police’s opinion.
“The impression we got is that things have gone pretty well with the latest rule changes for alcohol serving. There may have been slightly fewer people out than expected,” operations manager Bjørn Gunnar Nysæter in the Oslo Police District stated.
“Those who have been out obviously known the new rules and have complied with them,” he added.
Oslo now follows the national corona rules for alcohol serving, which means that no one is allowed to enter venues that serve alcohol after midnight, even if they are open until 3 o’clock.
The operations manager reported that the transition appeared to be smooth.
At the same time, there have been a number of complaints about noise from private parties.
Elsewhere in the country, there have been a number of reports of drunkenness, violence, and unrest.
In Trondheim, a suspected perpetrator in his 40s was caught by the police after allegedly beating a stranger at a nightclub. Elsewhere, a woman in her 40s was attacked, and the alleged perpetrator in his 20s was later arrested.
In the center of Kongsberg, a man was stabbed with a knife. A police patrol was nearby and was able to arrest the suspected perpetrator. The victim is not seriously injured.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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Sunday is the Fourth of July and we have a lot to celebrate. This year we will get to have an actual Fourth celebration, complete …
Author: Mike Stoll
Read more here >>> Austin Daily Herald
Donald Tusk returned to Polish politics on Saturday, in a bid to revive the fortunes of the struggling opposition and dethrone the ruling conservative-nationalist Law and Justice party.
Poland is due to hold parliamentary elections by 2023 at the latest and Tusk, who stepped down as Polish prime minister in 2014 to become president of the European Council, said that he was returning to lead Civic Platform, the centre-right party he co-founded two decades ago, to victory.
“I have come back 100 per cent,” Tusk told a party gathering on Saturday. “My belief [is] that Civic Platform is necessary, not as a flashback, but as a force to defeat Law and Justice in the battle for the future.”
Under Tusk’s leadership Civic Platform became the dominant force in Polish politics, winning elections in 2007 and 2011, the first time since the collapse of communism that a sitting government had won re-election.
But its fortunes were waning by the time he swapped Warsaw for Brussels in 2014, with the party undermined by a scandal over secret recordings of comments by some of its top figures, and accused of having lost sight of the concerns of less well-off Poles.
In the intervening years, Law and Justice, led by Tusk’s arch-rival Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has won a string of local, national and European elections, thanks in part to generous welfare policies, including its flagship child benefit programme, a higher minimum wage, and more money for pensioners.
But it has also set Warsaw on a collision course with Brussels, pushing through judicial changes that the European Commission regards as a fundamental threat to the rule of law, putting pressure on independent media and resorting to attacks on the LGBT movement to fire up its voters.
In recent months, Law and Justice, which rules in coalition with two smaller groups, has been riven by infighting between its moderate and hardline wings. Last week, three MPs left to form their own grouping, depriving the coalition of its formal parliamentary majority, although analysts say it may still be able to cobble together majorities on key votes.
In his speech at Civic Platform’s meeting — during which he replaced Borys Budka as acting head of the party — Tusk took aim at Law and Justice’s record, accusing it of being evil, and of furthering Russian president Vladimir Putin’s goal of dividing Europe through its clashes with Brussels.
“The evil that Law and Justice is doing is so evident, is so shameless, is so permanent, it happens in almost every matter,” he said. “Contempt for minorities, brutal, vulgar authoritarian tendencies, aversion to all types of freedom . . . Permanent attacks on the EU. That’s Putin’s agenda, one-to-one.”
Yet despite Law and Justice’s clashes with Brussels, and tension in the ruling camp, Tusk faces an uphill task to revive Civic Platform’s fortunes. Support for the party has slipped to as little as 16 per cent in recent polls, leaving it trailing both Law and Justice, and Poland 2050, the new centrist party of Szymon Holownia.
There is also a generational split in Civic Platform. Rafal Trzaskowski, the popular mayor of Warsaw, who ran as Civic Platform’s candidate in last year’s presidential election, made clear earlier this week that he was prepared to run against Tusk for the leadership of the party, were it to hold internal elections.
“I think that Tusk will be able to bring Civic Platform back to 20-plus per cent in the polls, and I think that will happen quickly, which will give him something to build on,” said Wojciech Szacki, a political expert at Polityka Insight, a Warsaw-based think-tank.
“But I don’t think it will be enough to overtake Law and Justice in the polls. I think there is a ceiling above Tusk’s head. Poland has changed since he left. Lots of people either dislike what Civic Platform did when it was in power, and others don’t remember it.”
Author: James Shotter in Warsaw
Read more here >>> International homepage
Maguire became a household name in 2002 when he took on the role of Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. The actor became an overnight sensation and starred in the Marvel series until 2007, when the franchise was scrapped by Sony. Since then, Spider-Man has been taken on by two new actors (Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland). In the meantime, Maguire stepped back from Hollywood. Following rumours the actor has been signed up to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Maguire’s next big-screen appearance has been announced.
Following the end of his Spider-Man franchise, Maguire starred in a few pictures, including Brothers, The Great Gatsby and Labor Day, before taking a break.
His last on-screen role was in 2014’s Pawn Sacrifice, a biopic about chess player Bobby Fischer.
After that, Maguire provided some narration for the animated kids movie The Boss Baby.
It has now been announced Maguire is returning to the big screen for the first time since 2014 in the Damien Chazelle movie Babylon.
READ MORE: Spider-Man 3 actor discusses reprising Sam Raimi-verse role NWH
Babylon is described as an ode to Hollywood’s golden age – but further details have not been announced just yet.
Maguire will be appearing alongside the likes of Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Samara Weaving and Olivia Wilde.
He is also executive producing the film alongside Helen Estabrook and Adam Siegel.
As this is the first time he is returning to the big screen in seven years, does this mean he has also been doing some acting in the upcoming Spider-Man film No Way Home?
What do you think? Is Tobey Maguire going to make an appearance in No Way Home? Join the debate in the comments section here
However, it has since been confirmed that Maguire’s on-screen nemesis Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) will be appearing in the new movie.
Molina spoke out about the unearthed secret in April, saying: “When we were shooting it, we were all under orders not to talk about it, because it was supposed to be some great big secret.
“But, you know, it’s all over the internet. I actually described myself as the worst kept secret in Hollywood!”
The BAFTA-winning actor went on to praise returning to his character 15 years later.
Molina told Variety: “It was wonderful. It was very interesting going back after 17 years to play the same role, given that in the intervening years, I now have two chins, a wattle, crow’s feet and a slightly a slightly dodgy lower back.”
Garfield has also denied returning to the series, saying: “I can’t speak for anything else, but for myself. They might be doing something, but I ain’t got a call. I would’ve gotten a call by now. That’s what I’m saying.”
However, his on-screen foe Electro (Jamie Foxx) all-but confirmed his return on Instagram by posting a photo of three Spider-Man characters facing off against his character.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is due for release on December 17, 2021.
Babylon does not have a release date.
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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
The oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament ends a two-year absence on Monday.
LONDON, UK — Roger Federer recalls feeling “just shocked, more than anything.”
Chris Evert found the news “devastating.”
The tennis world was shaken when the All England Club announced on April 1, 2020, that Wimbledon would be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic — the first time since World War II it was called off for any reason.
The oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament ends a two-year absence on Monday, with 50% capacity attendance at the outset and a full Centre Court of 15,000 allowed for the singles finals on July 10-11, the latest signals things are moving closer to normal.
“It’s going to be an incredible event,” said American pro John Isner, a 2018 semifinalist at Wimbledon and winner of the longest match in the sport’s history there in 2010. “You know, a lot of people say it’s the Mecca of our sport, it’s our Augusta National. … It’s going to be great to have it back. I think the fans all over the world are going to be eager to watch it.”
If so, they will have plenty of storylines to follow on the grass courts.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic tries to pull even with Rafael Nadal ( who won’t be there ) and Federer ( who will, in his last Slam before turning 40 on Aug. 8 ) at 20 major championships, the most for a man. Djokovic also hopes to add to his 2021 titles at the Australian Open and French Open to extend his bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam by a man since 1969.
Serena Williams, at age 39, seeks her 24th major singles trophy to equal the all-time mark after losing in the 2018 and 2019 Wimbledon finals. Coco Gauff, now 17, returns to the site of her big breakthrough at 15. Could there be yet another new Slam champion?
What matters most to many is simply that The Championships — as it’s known to locals — will be played after being the only Grand Slam site that remained silent during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“In my mind — and I think in a lot of players’ minds — it’s the biggest tournament in the world, and the most prestigious. It was a bitter disappointment to everybody. And it was historical,” said Evert, who won three of her 18 major singles trophies at Wimbledon. “It made you realize how bad the world was and how bad the pandemic really was.”
The French Open shifted from May-June to September-October in 2020, then was played again this year, delayed just one week. That shift left just two weeks, instead of three, between the clay of Paris and the grass of London, which could be an advantage to those most at ease on the lawns of Wimbledon, such as eight-time champion Federer or seven-time champ Williams.
“Probably, yes, for those who know how to play on grass and don’t need much time for the preparation on it, it could probably be better,” said Petra Kvitova, the Czech left-hander who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.
The U.S. Open was played in August-September 2020, albeit without fans, and the Australian Open was delayed by three weeks in 2021.
But the All England Club, unlike groups running other majors, had cancellation insurance that paid 180 million pounds ($ 250 million), according to chairman Ian Hewitt.
“Everything happened very quickly. … We were all not sure, anymore, what was going on,” said Federer, who missed most of 2020 after two operations on his right knee. “I remember being on (ATP) Council calls and trying to understand the magnitude and (asking), ‘When is the clay going to start?’ And then it literally went, within a couple of weeks, Wimbledon was canceled.”
There are changes this time — and on the horizon.
The singles champions’ checks are reduced more than 25% to about $ 2.4 million, although the overall cut in prize money is closer to 5%.
There will be fewer fans than usual for most of the two weeks — they’ll need to prove they’ve been vaccinated, tested negative for COVID-19 or had the illness within the preceding six months — and while the customary Middle Sunday without competition remains in effect, that will change in 2022, when the full fortnight will see matches.
Instead of renting private homes in Wimbledon Village, as some players usually do, the athletes and their entourages must stay at a designated hotel in London as part of what the tournament is calling a “minimized risk environment,” with coronavirus testing and a “track-and-trace program.”
“Obviously it’s not going to be normal. We’re not going to be staying at home. It’s going to be quite different,” said Johanna Konta, a British player who is a three-time Slam semifinalist, including at Wimbledon in 2017. “But it’s still grass. It’s still home. It’s still a home crowd. It’s still home comforts, in that sense, so I think it will just be exciting.”
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This post originally appeared on CBS8 – Sports
The Joker malware is back once again, putting Android devices at risk after making its way back onto the Google Play Store. Security researchers have pinpointed eight Play Store apps that had the nefarious malware loaded onto them. The dangerous malware, which is capable of stealing sensitive information from Android devices, was hidden away on apps downloaded thousands of times.
The latest batch of Android apps infected with the Joker malware were discovered by researchers at Quick Heal Security Labs. The Indian cybersecurity firm reported the compromised apps to Google, who have now taken the infected programmes off the Google Play Store.
However, if you’re among the thousands of people who download these Android apps before they were delisted you’ll need to act quickly to remove them from your device. Here is a list of the eight offending apps: Auxiliary Message, Fast Magic SMS, Free CamScanner, Super Message, Element Scanner, Go Messages, Travel Wallpapers, Super SMS.
The Joker malware has in recent years become one of the most common Android malware threats. The nasty malware family is able to secretly sign Android users up to paid-for subscription services, which if undetected can leave victims seriously out of pocket.
READ MORE: Popular Android app could have exposed your web searches and texts
To add insult to injury the Joker malware is also able to steal sensitive information such as SMS messages, contact information as well as details about a victim’s device.
In a blog post online outlining their findings, Quick Heal Security Labs looked at one of the recently discovered apps that spreads the Joker malware.
The Play Store app, known as Element Scanner, when first booted up asks for a number of permissions. It asks for Notification access, which may seem like an innocuous request.
However, this is used to take SMS data from notifications. The app also asks for Contacts access and the ability to make and manage phone call permission.
These permissions don’t seem necessary for a simple document scanning app, and should be red flags to Android users. Afterwards, the document scanner works without showing any visible malicious activity to the user.
However, in the background two payloads are downloaded – the first payload is found in the original app located on the Play Store. This then leads to a second payload being installed, which is the notorious Joker malware.
A final payload is then downloaded for collecting received SMS data. Advising Android users on how to stay safe, Quick Heal Security Labs said: “Malware authors spread these malware applications on the Google Play Store in scanner applications, wallpaper applications, message applications. These types of applications can quickly become a target. Users should try to avoid such applications and use such kinds of applications only from trusted developers.”
They also offered some simple advice on how to stay clear of any other malware threats. This includes…
• Download applications only from trusted sources like Google Play Store
• Learn how to identify fake applications in Google Play Store
• Do not click on alien links received through messages or any other social media platforms
• Turn off installation from the unknown source option
• Read the pop-up messages you get from the Android system before accepting/allowing any new permissions
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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Tech Feed
