Renowned Aruban photographer Silv “KURO” Muller has captivated audiences once again with a stunning piece of art that blends visual elegance with cultural significance. Through his social media platforms, he unveiled a remarkable portrait featuring seven of Aruba’s beauty queens, framed in a setting that celebrates the island’s rich history and identity. This extraordinary portrait goes beyond showcasing beauty; it highlights a deep connection to Aruba’s heritage. KURO masterfully bridges the past and present, portraying the queens in a symbolic environment that underscores their roles as cultural ambassadors during their participation in the Miss Universe pageant. The featured queens and their respective years are: The historical setting chosen by KURO adds layers of depth and meaning, beautifully illustrating how these women embody Aruba’s spirit on an international stage. His distinctive artistic approach turns this portrait into a heartfelt tribute to Aruba’s cultural heritage and the queens who have proudly represented the island with grace and pride. This portrait is more than an image—it is a visual celebration of Aruba’s history, elegance, and talent. KURO’s ability to capture timeless moments shines through as he immortalizes these seven queens in a composition that emphasizes their poise and profound connection to the Aruban identity. With this piece, Silv KURO Muller reaffirms his standing as a master of his craft, creating an artwork that not only pays homage to Aruba’s cultural legacy but also resonates as a testament to its enduring beauty.
The former FBI informant who claimed he could prove that then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden were paid $5 million a piece by the owners of Ukrainian energy company Burisma now admits he made the whole thing up. Alexander Smirnov lied when he told the FBI that Hunter Biden, who sat on Burisma’s board while President Joe Biden was serving as No. 2 in the Obama White House, used his father’s political position to force the Ukrainian company into making payments to both Bidens in 2015 or 2016, he admitted in a plea deal revealed Thursday. “In truth and fact. Defendant had contact with executives from Burisma in 2017, after the end of the Obama-Biden Administration and after the then-Ukrainian Prosecutor General had been fired in February 2016 — in other words, when (Biden) could not engage in any official act to influence U.S. policy,” the plea deal reads, in part. According to the plea, which serves as an admission to guilt on a felony count of lying to investigators and three more of tax evasion, Smirnov, took issue with the Bidens in 2020 for political reasons and told his FBI handler he had knowledge of corruption, but investigators later learned he was embellishing his access to company officials and inside information. “Defendant transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against Public Official 1, the presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties for President, after expressing bias against Public Official 1 and his candidacy,” the plea reads, in part. Smirnov’s entirely-made-up version of events served as the backbone of a year-long effort by Congressional Republicans to drum up impeachment charges to levy against President Biden over his alleged role in the bribery scheme. Ohio’s U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said Smirnov’s assertion got to the “ heart ” of the GOP’s investigation into the Bidens, while House Oversight Chair U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-KY, called it “ a very crucial piece of our investigation. ” After Smirnov was arrested in February, prosecutors revealed much of the information he was sharing with his FBI handlers was coming from the Kremlin. “Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about Businessperson 1,” they wrote , referring to Hunter Biden. Smirnov’s exact claims were made public in June of 2023, after U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley published a redacted version of the FBI form he used to spin his lies to his handlers. Ranking House Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik told Fox News that the allegations represented “the biggest political corruption scandal, not only in my lifetime, but I would say the past 100 years.” Hunter Biden was recently pardoned by President Biden for any and all crimes he may have committed while working for Burisma and in the years that followed. ©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Something in the air: Most polluted city in the UK revealedAustralian politicians pass bill that would ban young children from social media
Biden’s pardon frays justice system
( MENAFN - GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) BidLink solution within Magnite's SpringServe ad server to support WeTV in scaling programmatically SINGAPORE, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magnite (Nasdaq: MGNI), the largest independent sell-side advertising company, announced that WeTV has selected Magnite's ad tech stack to enhance monetisation of its video inventory. WeTV will leverage the BidLink solution within Magnite's SpringServe ad server to scale programmatically, while the Magnite Streaming and DV+ SSPs will help WeTV earn the full value of their inventory. Having launched in Southeast Asia in 2019, WeTV delivers premium Chinese dramas, variety shows, anime, as well as original and local content across the region and continues to grow exponentially year over year as streaming becomes a mainstay in consumer budgets. Magnite's SpringServe ad server helps create operational efficiencies and improve monetisation opportunities for media owners like WeTV, while offering tools that allow audiences to enjoy the best possible viewing experience. Using SpringServe's BidLink will help WeTV intelligently integrate programmatic demand into their ad stack, and enable competition between traditional-direct and programmatic campaigns across multiple integrated SSPs. This helps boost yield and increase revenue by monetising opportunities that might have otherwise gone unfilled. “As WeTV grows in popularity, we're committed to meeting our audiences' growing demand for diverse, high quality shows and bringing them a premium entertainment experience,” said Mary Yeo, Head of Commercial at WeTV.“This mission requires a forward-thinking partner who can provide the technology and strategic guidance we need to be successful, and we look forward to leveraging Magnite's expertise to provide the technology and strategic support to turn this vision into reality.” “We're excited to be supporting one of Southeast Asia's largest video streaming platforms in their quest to scale programmatically while preserving the experience for viewers,” said Gavin Buxton, Managing Director, Asia at Magnite.“BidLink helps media owners level up their programmatic capabilities and increase revenue potential. Combined with the power of Magnite's SSPs, we're confident in the opportunities this partnership will unlock.” About Magnite We're Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the world's largest independent sell-side advertising company. Publishers use our technology to monetize their content across all screens and formats including CTV, online video, display, and audio. The world's leading agencies and brands trust our platform to access brand-safe, high-quality ad inventory and execute billions of advertising transactions each month. Anchored in bustling New York City, sunny Los Angeles, mile high Denver, historic London, colorful Singapore, and down under in Sydney, Magnite has offices across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC. About WeTV WeTV is an Asian streaming service that sees the creation of premier video-on-demand (VOD) and provides over-the-top (OTT) local content. The streaming service provides content from around the region, including selected Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Philippines and Thai drama series, movies, variety and anime. Operating on a freemium model, users can access content without the need for a paid subscription and premium content at a small fee. WeTV is available on the browser at wetv.vip , or on the WeTV application that can be downloaded from the Apple Store for iOS users and the Google Play Store for Android users. Media Contact: Megan Hughes ... MENAFN02122024004107003653ID1108948855 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would , leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law. The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. The legislation was passed with 102 votes in favor to 13 against. If the bill becomes law this week, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restrictions before the penalties are enforced. Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan told Parliament the government had agreed to accept amendments in the Senate that would bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver’s licenses. The platforms also could not demand digital identification through a government system. “Will it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No, it’s not. But if it helps, even if it helps in just the smallest of ways, it will make a huge difference to people’s lives,” Tehan told Parliament. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the Senate would debate the bill later Wednesday. The major parties’ support all but guarantees the legislation will be passed by the Senate where no party holds a majority of seats. Lawmakers who were not aligned with either the government or the opposition were most critical of the legislation during debate on Tuesday and Wednesday. Criticisms include that the legislation had been rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, would not work, would create privacy risks for users of all ages and would take away parents’ authority to decide what’s best for their children. Critics also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of positive aspects of social media, drive children to the dark web, make children too young for social media reluctant to report harms they encountered and take away incentives for platforms to make online spaces safer. Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel said the legislation would “make zero difference to the harms that are inherent to social media.” “The true object of this legislation is not to make social media safe by design, but to make parents and voters feel like the government is doing something about it,” Daniel told Parliament. “There is a reason why the government parades this legislation as world-leading, that’s because no other country wants to do it,” she added. T had asked for the vote on legislation to be delayed until at least June next year when a government-commissioned of age assurance technologies made its report on how the ban could been enforced. Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press