Madonna, the iconic “Material Girl” singer, on Monday, created a stir on social media by sharing two AI-generated images on Instagram that featured her in close proximity to Pope Francis. The images quickly went viral, attracting widespread attention and criticism. Controversial Image with Pope Francis The first image in Madonna’s post showed her dressed in a dark lace outfit, sitting beside Pope Francis. The image was highly suggestive, with the Pope appearing to lean in, his nose nearly touching her cheek. The caption read: “Going into the weekend like... ... ...” Madonna’s follow-up image showed her in a black bustier, with the Pope seemingly posed in a manipulated manner, appearing to engage in conversation with his arm around her. The pop star credited meme-maker @rickdick_ beneath the images, in bold red letters. Piers Morgan slams Madonna over controversial images The controversial images drew a sharp response from broadcaster Piers Morgan, who posted them on X (formerly Twitter) with a harsh critique of Madonna. He wrote: “Even by her pathetically embarrassing attention-seeking standards, this is truly dreadful. Grow up @Madonna – you ludicrous imbecile.” His comments fueled a broader debate online, with many condemning the images as disrespectful. Public Reactions to the Post Piers Morgan on Material Girl” singer Madonna Many social media users expressed their disapproval, with one commenter, @CoolbeachM, stating, “Disrespecting spiritual leaders is unacceptable. Such actions can cause harm and offense to many.” Another user, @stephaniellen, highlighted the potential dangers of AI technology, remarking, “The fact that we can now generate these images is going to cause a lot of problems.” However, not all responses were negative. Some defended Madonna’s actions, including @CmookieB, who encouraged others to be more lenient, saying, “Lighten up, Piers.” Also Read: Who Is Matilda Djerf ? Influencer Responds to Workplace Misconduct Claims After Toilet-Scrubbing and Body Shaming Accusations(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shared an intense series of handshakes on Saturday, reminiscent of the white-knuckled grip-off that marked a meeting between the two leaders more than seven years ago. Visiting Paris to attend the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral, Trump was greeted by Macron at the steps of the Elysee Palace. It was Trump's first foreign trip since winning the Nov. 5 U.S. election. Exiting his vehicle, Trump pulled Macron's right hand towards his body as the two hugged and gripped each other with clenched fists, shaking firmly back and forth. While friendly, it appeared both men were holding on tight. As they ascended the steps of the palace and turned again towards the cameras, Trump positioned his hand above Macron's and pushed down firmly as they locked hands for a second time. The sequence triggered approval from some Trump supporters online, who saw in the president-elect's actions a concerted attempt to intimidate Macron. "President Trump is back to dominating world leaders with his handshake," an account who goes by the username @BehizyTweets posted on the social media platform X. "Macron is going to need a hand massage after all that twisting and pulling Trump did to him." The two men have a history of intense handshakes. When they met for the first time in May 2017 ahead of a NATO summit in Brussels, each man gripped each other's right hand so firmly that their knuckles turned white and their jaws seemed to clench as they sat for a face-to-face meeting. Macron told a newspaper in 2017 that the white-knuckle handshake was "not innocent" and "a moment of truth" aimed at showing his U.S. counterpart, whose first term ended in January 2021, that he would not be intimidated. Trump and Macron were joined later on Saturday by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The meeting occurred with world leaders in Paris to celebrate Notre-Dame's restoration five years after it was ravaged by fire. Trump and Macron shared another firm and prolonged handshake outside the cathedral, though it fell short of the intensity of the 2017 grip-off, according to social media influencer Collin Rugg. "The handshake battle between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron continues," Rugg posted on X. "Their handshake at the Notre Dame Cathedral lasted for 17 seconds, coming short of their previous record of 29 seconds." (Reporting by Nathan Layne in New York; Editing by Paul Simao)
Julie Scelfo started MAMA — Mothers Against Media Addiction — earlier this year to help parents fight back against the harms of social media on children. A former journalist, Scelfo says she was inspired to take action after reporting on the youth mental health crisis and how screens and social media are affecting young people’s lives. The group has 28 chapters in 17 states, with waitlists to start other chapters. Scelfo says the group wants to establish chapters in every state, provide parent education about technology, “ensure the school day remains smart-phone-free for students and overcome the ”inertia in our state capitals and Congress so technology is safeguarded like other consumer products." Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Higher oil prices in 2021 led to a healthy rebound in global drilling activity the following year, helping production in areas such as the USA and Brazil reach new heights. Indications of a softening drilling market in certain areas were seen in 2023 but became more prominent in 2024 with lagging rig activity onshore USA and high-profile rig contract suspensions onshore and offshore Saudi Arabia. With OPEC+ agreeing on 5 December to extend its voluntary output cuts into 2025, there are indications that the market may shrink further as we enter 2025. Westwood’s latest Wells & Production Outlook indicates that, although there are undoubtedly some downward pressures for drilling, especially in the short-term, the global picture still has significant positives. Over the 2025-2031 period, Westwood forecasts an average of 53,000 wells to be spud annually. On a regional level, the Americas is expected to lead drilling activity, driven by the USA (68% of regional activity), followed by Asia, where China dominates with 81%. Africa and Europe will be driven by activities in Russia, which will account for 79% of wells spud in the region, while drilling activities in the Middle East are more even spread, with the largest country, Oman, representing 27%. Proportion of Global Wells Drilled by Region 2025-2031 Source: Westwood Wells & Production Outlook 2025-2031 Back in 2018, the first year covered by this edition of the report, 59,000 wells were drilled globally. This is more than any year since, and any year expected over the forecast. Indexing this year to 100, it becomes clear that Asia and the Middle East are both expected to improve on 2018 levels throughout the forecast, with the number of wells drilled 18% and 26% higher over the forecast respectively. For Asia, this will be driven by China, which is expected to continue drilling >10,000 wells per year, while other countries, such as Indonesia and Thailand, drill at greater rates. The Middle East is expected to see the largest improvement, averaging over 4,000 wells per year, as NOCs ramp up drilling operations in onshore unconventional projects and brownfield offshore projects. Conversely, Africa and Europe, which are collated into one region for this report, are expected to average 9,360 wells over the forecast, down 4% on 2018. The region that stands out most clearly however is the Americas – the largest driller but also the one with little to no forecast growth. Taking 2018, when 26,300 wells were drilled as 100, the average indexed rate of drilling over the forecast will be 72, with an average of 19,000 wells drilled per year. This compares to 95 (Africa and Europe), 118 (APAC) and 126 (Middle East). Regionally, North America (Canada and the USA) is expected to dominate, with drilling in the Lower 48 remaining the key driver of regional activity. However, the USA is not expected to return to previous drilling levels. Instead, the country is forecast to continue to be dominated by the theme of capital efficiency and profit over pure production growth. 2024, a year with low natural gas prices and high supply costs, has shown that if market conditions aren’t right, operators will not hesitate to reduce rig activity until market conditions improve. Drilling in 2024 is estimated to be 7% lower than 2023 and 40% below 2018. Indexed Change in Wells Drilled by Region 2018-2031 Source: Westwood Wells & Production Outlook 2025-2031 Technological and drilling advancements are likely to be a major theme over the forecast, with operators drilling longer laterals and U-turn wells to further extract maximum value from each well. This is expected to continue to put downward pressure on the number of wells required annually, with an annual average of 12,400 onshore development wells over the forecast, 2% below an annual average of 12,700 wells in a hindcast impacted by the COVID-19 demand destruction in 2020. The election of Donald Trump and his “drill baby drill” slogan is unlikely to receive much of a reaction from operators predicted to continue with their capital conscious approach. However, the expected rescinding of Biden’s pause on approvals of new LNG export agreements should support an uplift in drilling in the shale basins with a higher gas content, which has been hit particularly hard this year. Activity in the USA has settled into a new normal – with the previous levels of drilling highly unlikely to be seen again. For those service companies and rig contractors who can offer the technologies and rigs that are growing increasingly important to operators in the shale plays, there remains huge opportunities despite the reduction in the volume of wells drilled. Another reason for the decline in drilling activities in the Americas since 2018 is onshore Latin America, where there is a limited positive outlook except for Argentina. The entire region is on a downward curve over the forecast as dwindling reserves, poor economic factors and political unrest impact drilling activity. In Mexico, 52 onshore wells were drilled in 1H 2024, compared to 88 in 1H 2023, a 41% decline YoY. This comes despite several promising condensate discoveries in recent years (Ixachi, Quesqui and Baktegas) and the delivery of 10 newbuild land rigs. It is unclear what impact the new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, will have on an industry that subsequent governments have failed to materially improve. However, Westwood does expect some improvement on the low 2024 figure (estimated at 85 for the year), with an average of 126 onshore wells over the forecast. Americas Drilling Outlook by Country Source: Westwood Wells & Production Outlook 2025-2031 Other regional players, including Colombia and Peru, have consistently recorded drilling numbers below historic levels in recent years, and there is little indication of improvement. This is despite some bullish production forecasts and new schemes in most countries to raise production – something that has failed to translate into material production improvement in the past. Despite this, there are several areas of the Americas predicted to see major growth over the forecast, including Argentina, where activity has ramped up from a low of 430 well spuds in 2020 to 1,071 in 2023. Operators pledged investments of US$9 billion into the Vaca Muerta shale play in 2024 and is on track to beat 2023 with 546 development wells drilled in 1H 2024, up 11% YoY. Removing restrictions on investment has become the centrepiece of the current government, given historic issues. This, coupled with increased offtake routes, should see the number of wells drilled increase YoY to almost 1,500 by 2031, a potentially conservative number but one reflective of the challenges that remain. Latin America Onshore Drilling Outlook (Excl. Argentina) Source: Westwood Wells & Production Outlook 2025-2031 Argentina remains beset by economic problems, while any potential changes in the government could disrupt the industry as they have in the past. On a more practical level, a significant increase in both equipment, including onshore rigs, and export infrastructure is vital to ensuring that growth can be maintained. Another key bright spot is in the subsea sector, where the Americas is forecast to lead global demand for subsea development wells, accounting for 47% over the forecast period, a 37% increase on the hindcast. This reflects the increase in activity in the well-established Brazilian deepwater sector, which will lead subsea development with 360 wells spud. Guyana will also have an increase in activity, with 220 subsea development wells expected over the forecast. Furthermore, the recently sanctioned GranMorgu will kickstart an era of deepwater development drilling offshore Suriname. Petronas’ discoveries in Suriname’s Block 52, as well as Petrobras’ and Shell’s gas discoveries offshore Colombia, add further interest and upside potential in the buoyant deepwater region. Proportion of Global Subsea Tree Installations (RoW vs Americas) Source: Westwood Wells & Production Outlook 2025-2031, SubseaLogix Continued strong investment in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico will also boost regional activity, with approximately 115 subsea trees installed over the forecast. At the same time, the first deepwater fields in the Falkland Islands, Mexico and the aforementioned Suriname are expected online, adding a combined 84 subsea development wells to this already dominant region for subsea activity. With more than 133,000 wells to be drilled over the forecast, the Americas continues to represent a major area for drilling. The region is expected to remain a bright spot for deepwater drilling, led by Brazil and Guyana, while onshore North America is expected to remain in high demand, albeit with activity in the Lower 48 settled into a new normal. Argentina is expected to be a bright spot in what is otherwise a more negative outlook onshore Latin America. Source: Westwood Global Energy Group
New Delhi : The government on Thursday said it has achieved digitisation of "record of rights" to the extent of 98.5 per cent of available land records (except some northeast states and Ladakh) in rural areas. The ‘Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme’ ( DILRMP ) has been extended up to March 2026 and an amount of Rs 2,428 crore has been released to states/UTs from 2008-09 to 2024-25, according to the Ministry of Rural Development. Also, 1,150 projects have been sanctioned across 28 states and 2 UTs (Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh), with Rs 4,574.54 crore (56 per cent) of the Central share disbursed (as of December 20), the ministry informed. In September 2024, the Department has launched a new programme "National geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban HAbitations (NAKSHA)" under the DILRMP scheme for the creation of land records in urban areas as a pilot in 150 cities across the country. According to the government, the pilot programme is implemented with the active cooperation of the Revenue and Urban Development departments of states/UTs and is proposed to be completed in a year’s time. A financial outlay of Rs 193.81 crore has been allocated for the programme. This programme will provide clarity on ownership of land and solve land-related disputes in urban areas, said the government. With regards to the digitalisation of maps/field measurement books, 95 per cent of maps/field measurement books have been digitised. Cadastral maps have been linked to the ‘Record of Rights’ in 72 per cent of villages in the country. "Registration of land and property has been computerised under DILRMP to the extent of 96 per cent of sub-registration offices (SROs). Integration of Revenue and Registration records have been completed in 89 per cent of SROs in the country," the government said. An innovative measure taken up in DILRMP is the assignment of ULPIN/ Bhu-Aadhaar (Unique Land Parcel Identification Number) to land parcels. So far, ULPIN has been assigned to 23 crore land parcels.
Pam Bondi, Donald Trump's pick to be attorney general, is a staunch ally of the former president, defending him against impeachment during his first term and pushing his false claims of election fraud as he sought to cling on to the White House. The 59-year-old former Florida attorney general, if confirmed by the Senate, will now serve as the top law enforcement official in a second Trump administration. "For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans -- Not anymore," Trump wrote on his Truth Social network. "Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again." Bondi's nomination means the top ranks of the Justice Department will be filled by Trump loyalists, as the president-elect has named three of the lawyers who defended him in his multiple criminal cases to its other high-ranking roles. Trump tapped Bondi to be attorney general on Thursday after his first pick, firebrand ex-Florida lawmaker Matt Gaetz, dropped out amid sexual misconduct allegations and doubts that he could obtain Senate confirmation. A graduate of the University of Florida with a law degree from Stetson University, Bondi served as a prosecutor for 18 years before being elected attorney general of the "Sunshine State" in 2010, the first woman to hold the post. Bondi, a native of Trump's adopted home state of Florida, was reelected to a second term in 2014. As attorney general, Bondi notably fought opioid addiction and human trafficking while taking a tough stance on crime and supporting the death penalty. She sued BP for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and obtained more than $2 billion in economic relief for Florida, according to her biography page at Ballard Partners, a powerful lobbying firm where she has worked after leaving office. While serving as attorney general, Bondi was drawn into a controversy involving Trump when she declined in 2013 to join a multi-state prosecution accusing Trump University of fraud. It emerged later that Bondi's reelection committee had received a $25,000 donation from the charitable Trump Foundation. Both Trump and Bondi denied any wrongdoing. Bondi joined Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial, in which he was alleged to have pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to find political dirt on his 2020 election opponent, Democrat Joe Biden. Trump was impeached by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives but acquitted by the Republican-majority Senate. After the 2020 election, Bondi made television appearances on behalf of Trump and pushed to de-legitimize vote counting in battleground states as part of the push by the former president to overturn the results of the vote. Bondi has also criticized the criminal cases brought against Trump, appearing in solidarity at his New York trial, where he was convicted of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star. At Ballard Partners, Bondi has done work for Amazon, General Motors and Uber and as a registered lobbyist for the oil-rich Gulf nation of Qatar, according to press reports. She is also a member of the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned right-wing think tank. cl/dw
Chinese modders create laptop-style PlayStation 5 with its own screen but no battery
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Macao’s Iconic Light Festival Glows in Celebration of China’s 75th and Macao’s 25th Anniversaries