
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Hartlepool Mail, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. It's inevitable that as battery technology progresses, portable power stations will become more, well, portable. And the latest developments have seen a raft of new, compact power stations arriving in 2024 that can keep gadgets topped up without adding too much bulk to your backpack. The Anker brand Solix has been one of the latest companies to throw its hat into this particular ring, and it's doing things a bit differently. Unlike some small portable power stations, the new Solix C300 is tall, narrow and designed to be carried with a strap. That makes it more versatile, and the fact it's 15% smaller than its rivals really helps. There are two versions of the C300, one has a pair of AC sockets with a small inverter built in, the other has just a 12v selection of outputs. I've been testing the AC version for a while, using it to power and charge all sorts of devices, and it hasn't missed a beat. The inverter can cope with constant loads of up to 300 watts , or a surge of up to 600 watts, so it'll comfortably run any laptop, or even some power tools, or a projector. The USB sockets, of which there are four, can pump out 140 watts , which is impressive, and the battery has a 288Wh capacity , which is effectively the same as around 90,000mAh. So it has plenty of power for most of the devices you could plausibly take with you on an outdoor excursion, or a camping trip. And it weighs just 4kg. The DC version , without the two three-pin sockets, is even lighter, and that one comes with a clever pop-out lamp on the top . The AC version makes do with a light bar, but it's pretty bright. They both have Anker's LCD display on the front, which makes monitoring inputs and outputs really easy, with a clear indicator of how much charge is left in percentage terms. Recharging can be done through the USB sockets , more slowly through the car charging socket, through a solar input up to 100 watts or, in the case of the AC version , at 330 watts through an AC input. The DC version, however, can accept two charging loads through its USB-C sockets , instead of just one on the AC version. This means you can potentially hose in 280 watts. It won't charge quite as quickly as the AC version, then, but it's very impressive. In fact, I do think the DC version is the more versatile device , overall. It's a bit lighter and smaller, it has that neat pop-up lamp, and unless you really need an AC socket , it's just as useful. In fact, using an inverter is quite inefficient, and you'll have to cope with a phantom load just by turning it on. If you can, you should always use the 12V supply. And then there's the price. This is where it gets interesting. At the time of publication, the DC version costs £149.99, down from its usual £199.99. Meanwhile the AC version, usually priced at £269.99, costs £189.99. It makes it something of a dilemma for buyers, because there's only a £40 difference between the two. And that £40 gets you a robust inverter and two AC sockets. But, like I say, if you don't need AC power , if you can cope with some very powerful USB sockets and you'd prefer the lightness and smaller size, go for the DC version . You won't be disappointed. They're both really good bits of kit.
Christopher Nolan is following his Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” with a true epic: Homer’s “The Odyssey.” It will open in theaters on July 17, 2026, Universal Pictures said Monday. Details remain scarce, but the studio teased that it will be a “mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX technology.” It will also be the first time that an adaptation of Homer’s saga will play on IMAX film screens. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Daily Post Nigeria Police bust 3-member robbery gang in Adamawa Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport News Police bust 3-member robbery gang in Adamawa Published on December 5, 2024 By Jim Ochetenwu Police operatives in Adamawa State have busted a three-member robbery gang. The Adamawa State Police Command stated on Thursday that the three suspected robbers were arrested after they broke into a house in Yola and robbed the occupants of their belongings. They similarly forced their way into a shop in the same neighbourhood and carted away several commodities. “Three notorious Shilla Boys who have been on the wanted list of the command have been apprehended,” the police said in a statement signed by the command’s spokesperson, Suleiman Nguroje. The statement named the suspects as Zaiyat Abubakar, 29, Hassan Buhari, 19, and Suleiman S. Suleiman, 27, all residents of Yola North Local Government Area. “The suspects had on November 28, 2024, conspired and broke into the house of Bapetel Jidda and robbed his family members of their belongings using offensive weapons. “Similarly, on December 4, 2024, the same gang broke into a shop situated along the same area and stole many valuable items,” the police explained. The police added that, so far, some television sets, standing fans, stabilisers, and a deep fridge, among other items, have been recovered from the suspects. Related Topics: adamawa robbery Don't Miss FCT: We did not construct road for EFCC — Wike clarifies new project You may like Gov Fintiri signs bill creating 83 districts in Adamawa Adamawa swears in Assembly Service Commission members APC begins fence mending in Adamawa, forms 8-man reconciliation committee Adamawa: Police nab four suspected robbers Adamawa: Police recover 364 bullets from suspected gunrunner Adamawa Aids control office reports drop in HIV prevalence Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media LtdCarbon Revolution Public Limited Co CREV shares are soaring Tuesday after the company announced $25 million in financing to support the ongoing liquidity of its business . What Happened: Carbon Revolution, a global manufacturer of carbon fiber wheels, said it reached an agreement with Orion Infrastructure Capital for a further $25 million in financing to be released in five $5 million tranches. Existing noteholders have also agreed to release up to $2 million of existing loan reserves in five equal tranches. In connection with the release of each of the five tranches, Carbon Revolution will issue to Orion Infrastructure Capital and the lenders penny warrants to purchase 5% of the company’s outstanding shares. Carbon Revolution previously drew $70 million of its $110 million funding agreement with Orion Infrastructure Capital. The new $25 million agreement will be drawn from the remaining $40 million under the agreement. “OIC continues to be a great funding partner for Carbon Revolution, sharing our vision for our world-leading technology,” said Jake Dingle , CEO of Carbon Revolution. “This capital supports the ongoing liquidity of the business and underpins the continued delivery of our production capacity increase and the near-term launch of a number of new OEM programs.” See Also: American Airlines Lifts Christmas Eve Grounding, Shares Bounce Back Carbon Revolution also noted that it continues to work to file its annual report “as promptly as practical” in order to regain compliance with Nasdaq listing rules. It’s worth noting that Carbon Revolution is considered a low-float stock with just 1.81 million shares available for public trading, according to Benzinga Pro . The company also had a market cap of less than $7.5 million as of Monday's close. Low-float, micro-cap stocks can be extremely volatile, which may help explain some of Tuesday's outsized move. CREV Price Action: Carbon Revolution shares were up 158.9% at $10.12 at the time of publication Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro . Photo: Shutterstock. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Payman launches attack on Hanson Independent senator Fatima Payman has accused One Nation leader Pauline Hanson of racism.Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020
The first time French police informed the Chechen refugee that he was prohibited from leaving the northeastern city of Strasbourg and must check in with them daily, he did not think it worth contesting the order. France was in the midst of a massive security operation for the summer Olympic Games, he explained, and he did not think authorities would listen to someone identified as a potential threat because of interactions with people identified as “pro-Jihadist”. But when the ministry of interior extended the order in late August to help protect a famed Christmas market that was the target of a deadly attack in 2018, the refugee, known to friends as Khaled, appealed to the city's administrative court. A panel of judges concluded the measures were “disproportionate”, saying in an October 3 decision seen by Reuters that he has no criminal record and was not under investigation for any crime. While they kept in place a prohibition on attending the Strasbourg Christmas market, they lifted the other measures. But the ruling came too late for the 20-year-old to enrol in a college where he was due to start a cybersecurity course in September, according to evidence submitted by his lawyer. “I lost my place. This year has gone to waste,” Khaled told Reuters, speaking on condition that he be identified by the nickname, because he fears his academic and career aspirations would be derailed if it becomes known he is being monitored by police. Friday's deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has prompted renewed scrutiny in a number of European countries of security arrangements for the seasonal markets, which draw large crowds. But the French interior ministry's broad use of powers introduced under a 2017 anti-terror law to strictly limit the movements of individuals deemed a serious security threat was already drawing criticism from some lawyers and human rights activists before the attack. At least 547 such orders were issued against people for the Paris Olympics, according to a parliamentary report published on December 11, even though some, like Khaled, had never faced criminal charges. Now, some lawyers and activists are concerned that the wider use of these orders, known as an “individual measure of administrative control and surveillance” or by the French acronym MICAS, could become the norm for other major public events. The interior ministry, which is in charge of police, and the local authority for the Bas-Rhin region, which includes Strasbourg, did not answer questions about those targeted because of the Christmas market. Reuters has identified at least 12 cases, based on court documents, interviews with lawyers and one of the people concerned. At least 10 had no terror-related convictions, though one person had been barred from the market before. Reuters could not immediately determine those details for the other two. In the first five years after the anti-terror law took effect on November 1, 2017, the number of MICAS orders issued for any reason in Bas-Rhin did not exceed seven in any 12-month period, according to figures provided by the interior ministry to parliament. Courts nationally have cancelled or suspended at least 57 of this year's Olympics and Christmas market-related orders, according to the December parliamentary report and a Reuters review of appeals filed with the Strasbourg court. “The Olympics were a MICAS free-for-all, and so now I have the impression that the interior ministry is sort of unrestrained for any event that attracts hundreds of thousands,” said David Poinsignon, a lawyer representing four people hit with MICAS orders for the games, two of whom had them extended for the Christmas market. He is especially worried about cases involving people with no terrorism-related convictions, saying: “It has almost become an instrument of predictive justice.” Ben Saul, UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, said France should use MICAS orders sparingly, “to address a credible risk of terrorism where less intrusive means would not be sufficient.” “Since they may be imposed without the robust fair trial safeguards of a criminal trial, there is a greater risk of abuse, arbitrariness or discrimination,” he told Reuters. The interior ministry did not comment. Former interior minister Gerald Darmanin said in July that the measures were only being used for people he described as “very dangerous” and potentially able to carry out attacks. TOUGHER SECURITY LAWS The introduction of MICAS orders was part of a steady toughening of French security laws over the past decade as President Emmanuel Macron's government responded to deadly attacks and a growing political threat from the far-right. Until recently, the measures were mainly used to monitor people after prison sentences. Reuters could not obtain data for last year. But former inmates accounted for 79% of the 136 MICAS orders issued in the year ending in October 2022, according to figures from an unpublished interior ministry report, which was submitted to parliament in 2023 and verified by two sources. An intelligence source, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, said in November that MICAS orders had proven effective during the Olympics, and authorities would take the same no-risk approach towards those who might target Christmas markets. A tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, many towns host the festive markets, which feature stalls offering gifts, decorations and treats such as pretzels and mulled wine. The one in Strasbourg is France’s oldest and biggest, attracting some 3-million visitors last year. In 2018, a gunman opened fire there, killing five people and wounding 11 others. The assailant was on a security watch list and had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group. The suspect in the Magdeburg attack, which killed at least five people and injured scores, is a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia who has lived in Germany for nearly two decades. The motive remains unclear. Investigators are probing the suspect's criticism of the treatment of Saudi refugees in Germany, among other things. He also has a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and has voiced support on social media platform X for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. RISE IN APPEALS As French authorities have expanded their use of MICAS orders, they have faced more successful court challenges. As of November, judges across the country had cancelled or suspended 50 Olympics-related MICAS orders, about 9%, according to the parliamentary report. That was “often because of insufficient evidence of a threat” in the intelligence reports used to justify the measures, it said. There have also been at least seven successful appeals against measures issued for the Christmas market, according to lawyers and records from the Strasbourg court. In the first five years after MICAS orders were introduced, 13 out of 1,203 orders, 1%, were successfully appealed, according to the interior ministry's 2023 report. Nicolas Klausser, a legal scholar from France's National Centre for Scientific Research who studies MICAS cases, said the increase could be partly a product of the growing number of appeals, but the widening profile of those targeted was likely a significant factor. They include people who may know someone with a terrorism-related conviction, or who made statements about Israel's war in Gaza described by authorities as an “apology for terrorism”, but who do not have criminal records themselves, Klausser said. In Khaled's case, intelligence reports reviewed by Reuters said he spent time with a person convicted of associating with a group planning a terrorist act and another convicted of “apology for terrorism”. Khaled said these were people he knew from the neighbourhood where he grew up or a gym he frequents, but he was not close with either of them. The reports also allege relations with other people described as “pro-Jihadist”. Khaled said these were also mostly neighbourhood acquaintances. Three were friends for a time, but they did not discuss violent extremism, he said. In one instance, Khaled is said to have told a friend that a “dirty trick was being prepared, and he was going to be frankly delighted”. The conversation took place on the eve of the 2020 assassination of a French secondary schoolteacher who showed his pupils caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad during a class on free speech, according to the intelligence reports. Khaled denies he said that. The conversation was about a wedding, he told Reuters, not the assassination of Samuel Paty. His lawyer, Lucie Simon, dismissed the purported remark as “nonsense,” saying no evidence was provided in the intelligence notes, and no charges were brought against her client in connection with the killing. The interior ministry did not comment. Its representatives have said at hearings for other cases that details in the intelligence notes are intentionally vague to protect sources. Khaled said he was shocked and worried when he learnt from a news report that the attack was carried out by a teenager of Chechen origin. “It's the community that's going to pay,” he recalled thinking. On December 6, the interior ministry extended his MICAS order a third time. He appealed, and the court informed his lawyer on Tuesday that it had cancelled the order.Peaky Blinders star’s bold look leaves fans with big concern after past ‘struggles’Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use
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NonePeaky Blinders star’s bold look leaves fans with big concern after past ‘struggles’Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers?
California is battling the future to protect performersFrance extends Olympics surveillance measures to Christmas market