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wild ace menu Sony Group's shares have never been higher than they are right now, and that's thanks in large part to its PlayStation division. The corporation's shares are currently worth ¥3,338, beating the previous highest value — ¥3,260, achieved in 2000. This rise in value stems from growth in the gaming segment. PlayStation reported a very strong second quarter , reaching operating profit of $900 million, also a record high for the division's Q2. Indeed, things have been quite rosy for the company this generation. PS5 is the most profitable console for Sony yet , and is selling roughly in line with PS4 . PlayStation's profitability forecast for the current fiscal year was actually increased, with Sony's reasoning being increased hardware and third-party game sales. It isn't all sunshine and rainbows in Sony's circles, of course, with studio closures, the disastrous launch of Concord , hardware price increases, and more impacting the platform holder this year. Still, even with some knocks and missteps, it appears Sony as a whole is doing very well, with PlayStation a very important cog in the machine.None

Gogglebox stars left devastated as they announce the death of ‘our princess’ as fans flood them with supportBy Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times (TNS) It’s a brisk day in Johannesburg, a tiny mining town tucked among the Rand Mountains in the Mojave Desert. The landscape is vast and rugged, a mish-mash of rock, dirt and creosote bushes, swaths of gray and brown under a deep blue sky. The terrain appears completely untouched by man, but a closer look reveals dozens of cavities pocked across the rolling hills. They look like monster snake holes. Those curious holes are abandoned mines, and they’re driving a real-estate boomlet in a place that hasn’t had one in more than a century. As the price of gold climbs, the demand for Randsburg’s craggy land has been reawakened. “The market is heating up,” said David Treadwell, a real estate agent based in Hemet. “I get 2-3 leads per month on buyers looking for patented mine claims. If you can get the gold out of the ground, there’s money to be made.” Treadwell has carved out a niche for himself in the desert, selling multiple gold mining properties over the last few years. He helped his uncle sell a 47-acre gold mining property in 2017, buying ad space in a local mining journal to spread the word. “From there, people would call and say, ‘I saw you’re selling a gold mine. Wanna sell mine too?’” he said. Treadwell has sold mines to amateurs and professionals alike. Small claims sell for less than $50,000, while bigger properties with more potential bring in a few hundred thousand dollars or more. Last year, he sold the St. Elmo mine — a historic mining property in Atolia with 11 mining shafts on it, some of them hundreds of feet deep — to entrepreneur Sean Tucker. On a cold November Tuesday, a mile outside of town, Tucker’s bright yellow Diedrich D-120 drill rig pierces the desert silence. His two-man team is drilling holes and gathering samples, boring into the earth two feet at a time to see which spot has the most gold to set up larger mining operations next year. They crowd around the towering machine as the rig starts burrowing into the dirt with a 140-pound hammer, digging into the ground with swift, strong strokes. After about 30 seconds, the drill reaches two feet underground, creating an eight-inch-wide hole. They pull out the auger and take a sample of the excavated dirt. “There’s gold here,” he said with a smile. Then the drill goes back into the ground to burrow two feet further, or until they reach bedrock. There’s no time to waste. There are many holes to be dug, and the winter sun is fleeting. The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 is one of the defining moments in California history, with roughly 300,000 forty-niners flocking here to make their fortune from the U.S. and abroad. California became a state by 1850 — the genesis of its evolution into the fifth-largest economy in the world. While most of the mining took place in Northern California and the Sierra Nevada mountains, Southern California experienced smaller, more disparate gold rushes in the following decades — in places like Big Bear, Azusa Canyon, Silverado Canyon in Orange County, the Cuyamaca Mountains of San Diego County and the Picacho District in Imperial County. One of the largest was in the Rand District in Kern County, where gold was discovered in 1895. The sun-blasted town of Randsburg sprang up virtually overnight, and the area’s largest mine, the Yellow Aster, produced the modern equivalent of more than $25 million over the next 30 years. Gold prices eventually stagnated after the Great Depression, hovering under $40 per ounce from 1933 to 1970. Most miners moved on. But over the last few years, the price of gold has soared to an all-time high; it currently sits at $2,630 per ounce. As a result, prospectors — both professional and amateur — are journeying back into these high desert mines for a chance at finding the the precious metal that moves mountains. “It’s a modern day gold rush,” Tucker said. “People are snapping up claims as quickly as possible.” In 2020, Tucker founded Gold Discovery Group, a gold mining operation based in Johannesburg, a mile from Randsburg. He owns 97 acres across five properties in the area and also leases the mining rights to 2,519 acres across 37 properties. Through geological surveys and historical documents, he estimates that there is $2 billion worth of gold under his properties. Of course, it’s not as simple as digging down and getting it. He needs drilling permits from the Bureau of Land Management, mining permits and reclamation plans to show how he plans to restore the land once he’s done mining it. But according to Tucker, the business model is there. His all-in sustaining cost — the total cost of getting the gold out of the ground — sits at roughly $1,220 per ounce. The price of gold is north of $2,600, leaving a profit margin of roughly $1,400. He’s spent about three and a half years acquiring permits and surveying the land, and he’s currently in the discovery phase, which involves drilling small holes to see which spots have the most gold. His team — master driller Martin Delgadillo and assistant driller Roderick McVay — has been permitted to drill 393 holes. So far, they’ve drilled 226. Working in the open desert can be brutal. The summer sun is unrelenting, with temperatures soaring past 100. Winter brings howling winds and freezing lows. Tucker has spent about $5 million so far and estimates he’ll spend $4 million more before his mines start producing gold. His plans call for placer mining, a process that involves separating gold from the dirt and gravel beneath the ground, which he estimates was deposited in Johannesburg through ancient flash-flood and heavy rain events. “It’s primal. There’s something in the ground that we want, and we’re getting it out,” Tucker said. “It’s what California was founded on, but now we’re coming back with modern technology.” No stranger to out-of-the-box endeavors, Tucker owned a pro bicycling team, Toyota-United, in the mid-2000s before founding Galleon Ventures, a deep-sea treasure hunting company that aimed to find sunken treasures in shipwrecks off the coast of Colombia. When drama within the Colombian government shut down his operation, he started seeking out a different kind of treasure: one buried in California. Tucker plans to start mining by next fall and will hire 80 people within the next three years. He owns an entire city block in Johannesburg, where he plans to build housing for the miners. “Now, we just have to hope the market stays where it is.” While California has come a long way since the gold rush, many of its mining towns haven’t. In its 19th century heyday, Randsburg boasted a population of 3,500 with churches, saloons, hotels and a thousand-seat opera house. Today, a sign leading into the community describes it as a “living ghost town.” A cluster of Old West-style wooden buildings line the quiet promenade, and a handful of shacks and ranches dot the surrounding hills. It is dead still on a Tuesday in November. The 2020 census lists a population of 45, with an average age of 73. Randsburg holds a special place in gold mining lore as the producer of the largest known nugget in California history. Known as the Mojave Nugget, the 156-ounce behemoth was found there with a metal detector in 1977 and now sits on display at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County. Many properties in the Randsburg area come with patented mining rights, which is key. If you lease mining rights from the BLM (which anyone can do if you pay the yearly fees ), you can mine the property, but you’re prohibited from building anything on top of it. If you buy a normal property, such as a house, you typically don’t get the mineral rights, so you can’t dig too far down — typically the limit is 20 feet. But if you buy a property with patented mineral rights, you own the surface and all the land beneath it, and you’re free to do whatever you want. Buyers can build a house or burrow hundreds of feet into the ground looking for gold. “In order to receive a patent back in the day, you had to prove the existence of significant mineral production,” Treadwell said, implying that properties with patents likely have plenty to mine beneath the surface. “ This one I’m listing is 1,700 feet north of the Calico mines , so chances are there’s something down there.” Plenty of gold is still being found. California led the nation in new gold discoveries last year, and a total of 10,373 gold-bearing locations have been unearthed in the Golden State, according an analysis of U.S. Geological Survey data by SD Bullion . Gregory Kuchan, a Douglas Elliman real estate agent, is currently listing a property with two mine shafts on it for $49,950. The lot spans 30 acres in Garlock, an old mining town-turned-ghost town just outside Randsburg. Kuchan, who’s based in Del Mar, said it’s outside his normal listing area, but he’s leaning into the forty-niner history and the gold rush potential to market the property. “You only need to find about 18 ounces to make this property pay for itself!” said the listing’s marketing materials. California’s original gold rush was an era of terror and lawlessness, as greed among miners led to murder, native massacres and citizen vigilantism. Things are more quiet today. But in the desert, there’s a muted sense of danger, a feeling that the normal protections of civilization are gone. Brian Fergusson, a 68-year-old crane operator who lives in Nevada and works in San Pedro, bought a 50-acre gold mine in Randsburg for $105,000 in 2020. He threw himself into the project, spending a week installing a 2,600-gallon water tank, an outhouse and a plywood shack to sleep in with stud walls and a steel door. Then, he went back to work. When he returned a few weeks later, it was all gone. “I’ve talked to people in the area, and there’s an extreme problem with thieves,” Fergusson said. “They don’t steal the gold — that requires work. If something sits on the land, someone will take it.” There’s also inherent danger in the mining itself: cave-ins are a problem, but bad air is the real killer. “You can crawl into a pocket with no oxygen without even realizing it, then black out and die,” he said. Related Articles Real Estate | 3 excellent Bay Area bottle shops (plus their holiday gift recommendations) Real Estate | Healthcare titan plans huge South Bay medical hubs in $800 million project Real Estate | Where is California’s cheapest place to live? Real Estate | Google pays San Jose advanced benefits as downtown village plan lags Real Estate | Developer targets starting construction of downtown San Jose housing project in early 2026 Fergusson has been prospecting as a hobby for about a decade, and finally bought his own claim after searching around for five years. He chose this one because a U.S. Geological Survey document said that 2,500 ounces of gold had been taken from the 20 mines on the property in the early 1900s, which would be worth more than $6.5 million today. Right after buying the land, he crushed up a piece of ore and found what miners call flour gold — tiny, fine specks of gold. The 20-30 pieces didn’t even add up to a 10th of a gram, but it was enough to know that there’s more to be found. Since then, he’s been drywashing, a waterless process that uses air to separate heavy materials, such as gold, from the lighter dirt and sediment. Fergusson has sunk money into other hobbies: rock climbing, scuba diving, etc. But this is the first hobby he’s had that pays him back. He expects the land value to go up as well; he spent $105,000 on his claim in 2020, and someone recently bought a smaller lot near his for $175,000. But for him, it’s about the hunt. “When you wash out the pan and there’s gold in the bottom, it’s euphoric,” he said. Rudy Salazar, a 61-year-old truck mechanic from Orange County, got into gold mining less as a hobby and more as a moneymaking opportunity. David Treadwell pointed him toward a 58-acre property in Randsburg, and he spent nine months staring at it on Zillow before pulling the trigger in 2022. “When I started looking into chasing gold, I realized the ground is still packed with it. Man has only scratched the surface,” Salazar said. “We’re all sitting on a gold mine in California. So why am I not going after it?” His land features five gold mines and shares a fence line with the famed Yellow Aster mine, so he’s confident that there’s plenty of gold beneath the surface. Reaching it will be the tricky part. As opposed to placer mines, his property holds lode mines. To get it out, he’ll need to extract the gold from veins hidden within solid rock. Salazar spends his days exploring the mine shafts and sampling veins to see which ones hold the most gold. He’ll ramp up operations within months or years, depending on the samples. In the meantime, it’s a struggling business venture — one that he spent his entire retirement savings on. He’s aware of history potentially repeating itself. During the gold rush, most miners didn’t find fortunes, but the merchants — people selling pans, or garment makers such as Levi Strauss and his copper-rivet blue jeans — did. So far in the modern gold rush, real estate agents are making more than the gold-seekers. “Getting a job that pays well, that’s real gold. People love the gold rush story, but I’m also aware of its outcome,” Salazar said. But he’s happy with the investment so far. And like so many Californians before him, he’s fueled by the promise of wealth, the secret riches buried in the earth, the “Eureka” moment always just out of reach. “I sit there alone. Everybody’s gone. My hands are waterlogged,” Salazar said. “It’s not easy. But I hope it pans out.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

NEET-UG exam likely to go online from next year; Radhakrishnan panel recommends AI security measuresOzLotto $50million winner: Aussies urged to check tickets now Search launched for Australia's newest millionaire The South Australian won $50million jackpot READ MORE: Powerball winner speaks out with advice for Australians By FREDDY PAWLE FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Published: 16:51 EST, 10 December 2024 | Updated: 17:20 EST, 10 December 2024 e-mail View comments A South Australian player won the entire $50million Oz Lotto jackpot last night, but the identity of the new multi-millionaire remains a mystery. The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said he was waiting for the country's newest multi-millionaire to make contact and start the prize claim process. 'Tonight's win is the second-biggest win to land in South Australia in 2024 and caps off a winning year for the state,' he said. 'In May this year, the state welcomed Australia's biggest individual lottery winner, an Adelaide man who pocketed a $150million Powerball prize. 'Tonight, a mystery player joined the multi-millionaire club by winning $50million, but they possibly don't know it yet.' He reminded players of the importance of registering their tickets to The Lott Members Club, so they can be contacted directly with the good news. 'If the elusive player had registered their ticket, officials from The Lott would have reached out to them tonight to confirm the life-changing news.' The winning numbers for Tuesday's draw were 1,29,20,23,34,46 and 39, with 42,43 and 24 being the supplementary numbers. A South Australian player won the entire $50million Oz Lotto jackpot last night, but the identity of the new multi-millionaire remains a complete mystery (stock image) Ten Aussies won $62,689.10 each after splitting the division two pool while 139 division three winners walked away with $5330. The Lott's division one winning tally has now reached 418 people so far in 2024. In the 2024 financial year there were 292 division one winning Saturday Lotto tickets totalling more than $436million, which created 158 millionaires across the country. A Sydney nurse who won $107million after picking a Powerball jackpot in 2019 revealed how winners should spend their winnings. 'If it's possible and you can stand it, wake up the next morning and go to work. It gives you normality, and it allows the news to slowly sink in,' she said in 2021. 'It takes two weeks for the prize money to come through. I used those two weeks to engage a financial adviser who I really trusted.' She added winners need to be careful about who they tell. 'Only a handful of people know,' she said of her win. Adelaide Share or comment on this article: OzLotto $50million winner: Aussies urged to check tickets now e-mail Add comment

LAS VEGAS -- After securing his fourth world championship at the age of just 27, has firmly entered 's greatest of all time debate. He is now in exalted company. Only Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and have won four championships. Verstappen's next goal is to join Fangio, Schumacher and Hamilton as a winner of five -- if he did it next year, he would emulate Schumacher in winning five consecutively. The Dutchman's record-breaking 2023 season had already firmly established this decade as the Verstappen Era, but his follow-up in 2024 was special for a number of different reasons. Verstappen won seven of the first ten races, seemingly cruising to his fourth title before Red Bull's campaign began to crumble, with an increasingly erratic car, and the rise of McLaren in the middle of the season. This was when Verstappen showed his mettle, though, extracting important performances from the car at every weekend and then in the pouring rain the São Paulo Grand Prix to move himself to the brink. That Interlagos performance, which saw him race from 17th on the grid to victory, was a feather in the cap. F1's candidates for the GOAT also have had career-defining performances in similar conditions: three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, considered by many to be F1's greatest ever, had Monaco 1984 and Donington 1992; Schumacher had Spain 1996; and Hamilton had Silverstone 2008. Verstappen's career now checks multiple boxes. A title against another all-time great, Hamilton, in 2021. Two dominant seasons in an unmatched car. And now a championship with a car that you can consider to have been inferior for much of the season. Few drivers can point to all three of those types of championship-winning campaigns, and that is why 2024 has been so significant to Verstappen's legacy. Dominant Formula 1 winners always have to deal with the suggestion that they are the benefactors of a great car. If that were the case, teams like Red Bull would pay average drivers a lot less money than they are paying Verstappen. There is a reason teams always want a superstar driver. This subject is something that has irked Verstappen recently. He took a playful (but clearly thought-out) jab at McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who earlier this year claimed seven or eight current drivers could win the title in the Dutchman's Red Bull. Verstappen went on to claim if he was driving Brown's McLaren, which doubled up as a dig at title rival . "Last year I had a dominant car but I always felt not everyone appreciated what we achieved as a team. Of course the car was dominant but it wasn't as dominant as people thought it was," Verstappen said in Las Vegas. "I will always look back at it because, even if in places we didn't have the best setup in the races, we were still capable to win races because the car was quite strong. But I am also very proud of this season because for most of it -- I would say for 70% -- we didn't have the fastest car, but actually we still extended our lead, so that is something I am very proud of." Fans and pundits can get into the weeds of who had the best car where until the end of time, but Verstappen is right to say his car did not look like a title-winning one for much of the year. Norris has been criticised for failing to properly utilise the strength of his McLaren at various points in the season, and it was that contrast to Verstappen that proved most telling. Another mark of the new four-time world champion's greatness can be seen by looking at the other side of the Red Bull garage. Much has been made of 's abysmal form in the second RB20, but plenty within the team feel the car is likely somewhere between his and Verstappen's performances; there is a suggestion that one driver is over performing and the other is underperforming. Verstappen's reputation as a teammate killer is well founded and is built on his incredible ability to drive just about anything beyond the limits of what other drivers might be able to. That's why 2024 felt like the cherry on top of his achievements so far: he wasn't just beating a teammate to the title, he was battling an erratic car against quickly improving rivals. At this stage, it's hard to imagine Verstappen retiring as just a four-time world champion. McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes will take renewed hope of challenging for the drivers' title in 2025, but this season has demonstrated that Verstappen is the driver to beat, regardless of where his car is in the competitive order. While at times this year -- something that was true of other GOAT candidates like Senna and Schumacher -- it is difficult to find times Verstappen has made unforced errors. Most worryingly of all for his rivals is that, in the decade since he made his debut as a 17-year-old, he appears to have gained the wisdom to settle for second, fourth or sixth when he needs to. Is Verstappen the GOAT? Assigning GOAT status to anyone is circumstantial and subjective and often suffers from recency bias. Some sports have obvious candidates for how they completely reshaped the game they played, like Michael Jordan. Some were utterly unmatched by their peers, like Serena Williams or Wayne Gretzky. Others, like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, divide opinion but stand alone in the argument. While it is always difficult and slightly unfair to compare different eras, with standards of play and professionalism improving with every decade that passes, Formula 1 has an added layer of complexity to it. The best example of this is to compare the greats of today to Fangio, the legend of the 1950s. The Argentine won five championships for four different teams in an era when a season would span less than 10 races -- the 2024 season will finish at 24. But there were more glaring differences back then. Fatality rates in F1 races during Fangio's day were awful and that fact hung over drivers every time they stepped into the cockpit. That is not to say the same danger does not exist today, but safety standards have improved massively. The stats show that to be the case: 15 F1 drivers died in the 1950s, 14 in the 1960s, 12 in the 1970s, 4 in the 1980s and 2 in the 1990s. Jules Bianchi's death in 2015, from injuries sustained at the previous year's Japanese Grand Prix, remains the only one from this millennium. Improved safety is not something to hold against modern drivers, it simply complicates trying to compare a Verstappen or Hamilton with someone of Fangio's era. There are many who saw Jim Clark race in the 1960s who felt he was the greatest ever. The Scot was killed in a Formula 2 race in 1968 as a two-time F1 champion but at the time of his death held the record for wins, pole positions and fastest laps. Enzo Ferrari considered Gilles Villeneuve, who died at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix having not managed to win a title, as the best driver he ever saw race one of his famous cars. Senna is revered as one of the greatest, but his death in at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix stopped him from trying to add to his three championships. The darker side of motor racing makes an easy debate on the topic difficult to have. It is not just the deaths either. While the basic rules of a soccer game and the dimensions of a pitch have remained the same, Formula 1 is an ever-evolving championship. Rules change, cars change, safety standards change, even the circuits change. Technology's continued, rapid evolution is what allows the sport to change as often as it does. Senna, Prost and Schumacher raced in a time with limited data available to them. Drivers today have an almost-unbelievable amount of information at their fingertips: insights into their own performance and that of their teammates and rivals. You could use that to knock the modern generation, but there is a flip side to that. The modern batch of F1 racers compete in an era of significantly limited testing; gone are the days where Schumacher and Ferrari could travel home from a race and complete 300 laps the following day at the Fiorano test track in Maranello. The current budget cap has added another layer of difficulty drivers of old simply did not have to deal with: power units need to be managed to stretch over a long season, rather than dropping in a freshly built engine ahead of each grand prix, and crashes can now have a direct impact on what can be invested in development. The more you pull at the threads of different factors over the years, the more complicated it becomes to assign the greatest status to anyone. The outright greatest will always be subjective and often can be limited to whether you saw a particular driver competing at their best, but Verstappen is doing something few before him have done, and is raising the bar every year he competes. There might even be greater talents on the horizon but, like Schumacher and Hamilton before him, Verstappen continues to move the goalposts they'll be tasked with reaching Verstappen is also good enough that, in a few years, there might not even be a debate left to have. He has repeatedly spoken about not wanting to race into his late 30s, but in the here and now, he goes into 2025 as favourite. Whether he is still racing with Red Bull in 2026 or beyond will be a fascinating narrative to follow in the coming seasons, and it is clear the best route to success for any team right now is to have Verstappen in the cockpit. That isn't going to change any time soon.

Paccar Inc. stock rises Tuesday, outperforms market

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A scruffy little fugitive is on the lam again in New Orleans, gaining fame as he outwits a tenacious band of citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets and a tranquilizer rifle. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt that's mostly terrier, has become a folk hero, inspiring tattoos, T-shirts and even a ballad as he eludes capture from the posse of volunteers. And like any antihero, Scrim has a backstory: Rescued from semi-feral life at a trailer park and adopted from a shelter, the dog broke loose in April and scurried around the city until he was cornered in October and brought to a new home. Weeks later, he'd had enough. Scrim leaped out of a second-story window, a desperate act recorded in a now-viral video. Since then, despite a stream of daily sightings, he's roamed free. The dog’s fans include Myra and Steve Foster, who wrote “Ode to Scrim” to the tune of Ricky Nelson’s 1961 hit, “I’m a Travelin’ Man.” Leading the recapture effort is Michelle Cheramie, a 55-year-old former information technology professional. She lost everything — home, car, possessions — in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath, found her calling rescuing pets. “I was like, ‘This is what I should be doing,’” Cheramie said. “I was born to rescue.” She launched Zeus’ Rescues, a nonprofit shelter that now averages 600 cat and dog adoptions a year and offers free pet food to anyone who needs it. She helped Scrim find the home he first escaped from. It was Cheramie's window Scrim leaped from in November. She's resumed her relentless mission since then, posting flyers on telephone poles and logging social media updates on his reported whereabouts. She's invested thousands of dollars on wildlife cameras, thermal sensors and other gear. She took a course offered by the San Diego Zoo on the finer points of tranquilizing animals. And she's developed a network of volunteers — the kind of neighbors who are willing to grid-search a city at 3 a.m. People like writer David W. Brown, who manages a crowd-sourced Google Map of all known Scrim sightings. He says the search has galvanized residents from all walks of life to come together. As they search for Scrim, they hand out supplies to people in need. “Being a member of the community is seeing problems and doing what you can to make life a little better for the people around here and the animals around you,” Brown said. And neighbors like Tammy Murray, who had to close her furniture store and lost her father to Parkinson's disease. This search, she says, got her mojo back. “Literally, for months, I’ve done nothing but hunt this dog,” said Murray, 53. “I feel like Wile E. Coyote on a daily basis with him.” Murray drives the Zeus' Rescues' van towards reported Scrim sightings. She also handles a tactical net launcher, which looks like an oversized flashlight and once misfired, shattering the van's window as Scrim sped away. Story continues below video After realizing Scrim had come to recognize the sound of the van's diesel engine, Murray switched to a Vespa scooter, for stealth. Near-misses have been tantalizing. The search party spotted Scrim napping beneath an elevated house, and wrapped construction netting around the perimeter, but an over-eager volunteer broke ranks and dashed forward, leaving an opening Scrim slipped through. Scrim's repeated escapades have prompted near-daily local media coverage and a devoted online following. Cheramie can relate. “We’re all running from something or to something. He's doing that too,” she said. Cheramie's team dreams of placing the pooch in a safe and loving environment. But a social media chorus growing under the hashtag #FreeScrim has other ideas — they say the runaway should be allowed a life of self-determination. The animal rescue volunteers consider that misguided. “The streets of New Orleans are not the place for a dog to be free,” Cheramie said. “It’s too dangerous.” Scrim was a mess when Cheramie briefly recaptured him in October, with matted fur, missing teeth and a tattered ear. His trembling body was scraped and bruised, and punctured by multiple projectiles. A vet removed one, but decided against operating to take out a possible bullet. The dog initially appeared content indoors, sitting in Cheramie's lap or napping beside her bed. Then while she was out one day, Scrim chewed through a mesh screen, dropped 13 feet to the ground and squeezed through a gap in the fence, trotting away. Murray said Cheramie's four cats probably spooked him. “I wholeheartedly believe the gangster-ass cats were messing with him,” Murray said. Cheramie thinks they may have gotten territorial. Devastated but undeterred, the pair is reassessing where Scrim might fit best — maybe a secure animal sanctuary with big outdoor spaces where other dogs can keep him company. Somewhere, Murray says, “where he can just breathe and be.” Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96

Chennai: Residents, activists and NGOs, including Arappor Iyakkam and Poovulagin Nanbargal, petitioned Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to shelve its proposed waste-to-energy incineration facility at Kodungaiyur, citing health and pollution risks. In their plea to GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran on Tuesday, the group criticised the corporation for prioritising incineration of 2,100 tonnes of waste daily over other strategies such as source-segregation, recycling and waste processing. GCC floated tenders months ago to establish the 1,263-crore plant, expected to generate 31MW of power daily. However, petitioners pointed to environmental violations at New Delhi's Okhla incineration plant, warning that burning plastics could emit carcinogens such as dioxins and furans, posing severe health threats. The group highlighted GCC's underutilisation of its waste-processing plants, which operate at just 26% capacity. "Against a capacity of 2,460 tonnes a day, GCC processes only 636 tonnes. Maximising this capacity could divert 1,800 tonnes from landfills," the petition noted. Activists accused GCC of flouting its 2019 solid waste management by-laws mandating 100% source segregation and decentralised waste management. They also cited Tamil Nadu's Chennai climate action plan, which opposed the incineration plant due to environmental, social, climate and livelihood impacts. They called the project an expensive method to generate power, comparing it to solar power projects costing 5 crore per MW and thermal plants at 8 crore per MW, against the incineration plant's 33 crore per MW. Geo Damin, a former member of Tamil Nadu's solid waste management committee and one of the signees, pointed out the lack of carbon capture technology in the project. "We should prioritise natural waste processing methods and send only non-recyclable waste to landfills," he said, adding that Chennai's 60% biodegradable waste renders the waste-to-energy model unviable. However, Kumaragurubaran said contractors would receive work orders soon. "We are adhering to environmental approvals and safety precautions. With limited options for processing, this is necessary," he told TOI. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .NEW YORK , Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --The global travel market size is estimated to grow by USD 5.50 trillion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 18.52% during the forecast period. Growing popularity of experiential travel is driving market growth, with a trend towards increasing international tourist footfall. However, threat from growing terrorism poses a challenge. Key market players include Accor S.A., American Express Global Business Travel GBT, Balkan Holidays Ltd., BCD Travel Services BV, Booking Holdings Inc., Carlson Inc., Corporate Travel Management Ltd., Expedia Group Inc., Fareportal Inc., Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd., G Adventures, JPMorgan Chase and Co., JTB Corp., MakeMyTrip Ltd., Marriott International Inc., Omega World Travel Inc., PT Global Digital Niaga, Traveloka, The Scott Travel Group Ltd., Travel Leaders Group Holdings LLC, World Travel Holdings, and World Travel Inc., Airbnb, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group. Key insights into market evolution with AI-powered analysis. Explore trends, segmentation, and growth drivers- View Free Sample PDF Market Driver Inbound tourism has experienced significant growth worldwide, leading to an increase in the number of tourists and demand for travel activities. Business travel, both international and domestic, is a significant contributor to this trend. The presence of numerous multinational corporations drives corporate visits, boosting the travel industry. Online travel platforms cater to the rising demand for travel activities from an increasing number of international tourists, primarily from North America , Europe , and the Pacific region. Government initiatives, such as improved connectivity through new airports, further fuel tourism growth. Overall, these factors are expected to expand the global travel market during the forecast period. The travel industry is experiencing significant shifts driven by trends such as the growing middle class population, heightened security and health concerns, and the increasing role of foreign tour operators and online platforms. Digital transformation is at the forefront, with tourists relying on online resources for trip planning, booking flight tickets and hotels, and even renting cars. Economic stability and leisure activities continue to be key motivators for vacations and holiday packages. The pandemic has created an acquisition opportunity for online travel agents, with promotional activities and new year holidays driving bookings. Mobile apps and holiday packages for international cities cater to elite travelers seeking new experiences in unexplored destinations. The luxury travel market remains strong, with a focus on security and personalized services. Overall, the online travel market is thriving, offering tourists convenience, affordability, and access to a world of new opportunities. Request Sample of our comprehensive report now to stay ahead in the AI-driven market evolution! Market Challenges Terrorist activities have grown globally since 2016, with the primary goal being to instill fear and alter people's behavior. An example is the bombing on January 1, 2023 , at a Kabul checkpoint near the commercial airport, resulting in injuries and fatalities. This incident directly affects industries like hotels and travel, as border clearances experience delays and stricter inspections. Furthermore, heightened security around oil and gas pipelines and electricity transmission lines leads to increased costs. Travel insurance and reinsurance also become more expensive. Consequently, the rise in terrorist activities may impede the expansion of the global travel market during the forecast period. The travel market faces various challenges in both the tourism sector and beyond. Micro trips are popular, but providing personalized services, reliable transport, and professional interaction remains crucial for customer satisfaction. Political stability is essential for business growth, especially for customized tours and private tours. Technological advancements, such as the adoption of IoT, impact airlines, cruise liners, hotels, and resorts. Natural disasters and stringent immigration policies pose risks. Business, sports, and cultural events drive domestic and overseas travel. Governmental support and infrastructural development are vital for addressing challenges like public transportation and accommodation facilities. Rapid globalization and the interconnected world increase competition, requiring technical integration and online booking platforms. Social media networks and influencer marketing influence travel decisions. Country revenue depends on addressing challenges like political instability, natural disasters, and stringent immigration policies. Discover how AI is revolutionizing market trends- Get your access now! Segment Overview This travel market report extensively covers market segmentation by 1.1 Transportation 1.2 Hotel 1.3 Travel activities 2.1 Leisure 2.2 Business 3.1 APAC 3.2 Europe 3.3 North America 3.4 South America 3.5 Middle East and Africa 1.1 Transportation- The Travel Market is a thriving industry that connects service providers with customers seeking unique travel experiences. It offers various opportunities for businesses to expand their reach and increase sales. By utilizing effective marketing strategies and providing exceptional customer service, companies can attract and retain customers. The Travel Market also encourages innovation and collaboration, allowing businesses to offer competitive prices and diverse offerings. Overall, it is a dynamic and profitable sector that continues to grow and evolve. Download a Sample of our comprehensive report today to discover how AI-driven innovations are reshaping competitive dynamics Research Analysis The online travel market has experienced significant shifts in the wake of the pandemic, with a growth in domestic tourism and an increase in bookings for New Year holidays. Mobile apps have become essential tools for travelers, allowing them to easily compare holiday packages, book flights, hotels, car rentals, and more. The adoption of IoT technology in the tourism sector offers new experiences and personalized services, creating opportunities for innovation. However, political instability, natural disasters, and stringent immigration policies pose challenges. The acquisition of smaller players in the online travel market presents opportunities for growth, particularly in the luxury travel market catering to elite travelers. Unexplored destinations and micro trips are also gaining popularity as travelers seek new experiences. Business and sports travel are expected to rebound as restrictions ease. Despite these trends, the tourism sector continues to face uncertainty and must adapt to changing consumer preferences and external factors. Market Research Overview The online travel market has seen a significant growth during the pandemic as people look for acquisition opportunities in the tourism sector. Domestic tourism has become a popular choice for travelers, leading to an increase in bookings for new year holidays. Mobile apps and online travel agents offer convenience for holiday packages, car rentals, and international city explorations. The luxury travel market caters to elite travelers seeking new experiences in unexplored destinations. Micro trips and personalized services are also in demand, as is reliable transport and professional interaction. Political stability, customized tours, and private tours are essential for some travelers, while others prioritize baby boomers, Gen X, and millennials' preferences. Technological advancements, such as the adoption of IoT, have transformed the industry, with online booking platforms, travel websites, and rapid globalization playing key roles. However, challenges such as political instability, natural disasters, and stringent immigration policies persist. Business, sports, and leisure activities continue to drive travel, with economic stability and infrastructure development crucial for the tourist industry's digital transformation. Online resources, flight tickets, hotels, and trip planning remain essential, with health and security concerns also influencing travel decisions. Foreign tour operators and online platforms cater to various tourist destinations, while influencer marketing, travel blogs, and user-generated content shape travel trends. Country revenue depends on public transportation, accommodation facilities, and the middle class population's growing demand for travel. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Sector Transportation Hotel Travel Activities Type Leisure Business Booking Type Mode of Travel Geography APAC Europe North America South America Middle East And Africa 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Company Landscape 11 Company Analysis 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: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE TechnavioTarget Stock Keeps Missing the Mark. Is It Time to Grab It From the Bargain Bin?