Facebook owner Meta sees latest layoffs begin
Facebook owner Meta has started notifying staff who are losing jobs in the wave of 10,000 job cuts the social media company announced last month.
Boss Mark Zuckerberg had said the layoffs are key to making the company more efficient.
Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, has been under pressure since a sharp slowdown in its ads business last year.
It had already let go 13% of its staff - roughly 11,000 people - last year.
Some of the people affected by Meta's latest decisions wrote on social media saying they were looking for new roles.
The company declined to comment, pointing to the March memo in which Mr. Zuckerberg outlined the plans, describing last year's challenges as a "humbling wake-up call".
He said the cuts were necessary to adjust to a new "economic reality" and enable the firm to invest in the future.
In March, people on the recruitment team were the first to leave the company.
The newest notifications apply to people working on the firm's IT teams, according to the firm's plans.
Another round of layoffs affecting business and administration teams is expected next month.
The firm has said the timing could differ for people outside of the US and some cuts may not be complete until the end of the year.
The moves come as the corporate world is bracing for a wider economic slowdown, as higher borrowing costs start to slow business activity.
The tech industry, where low borrowing costs had helped fuel investments and growth, has been hit particularly hard.
More than 170,000 people in the industry have been laid off globally since the start of the year, according to announcements tracked by website layoffs with big names such as Amazon and Google account for some of the largest actions.
Among the other announcements this week, online property firm Opendoor said it would reduce its workforce by roughly 560 jobs or 22%.
Source- BBC
K-pop star dies at age of 25 in suspected suicide
K-pop star Moonbin has died at the age of 25, his record label has announced.
He was found unresponsive by his manager at his apartment in Seoul on Wednesday night, South Korean media quoted police as saying.
"He appears to have taken his own life but an autopsy is being reviewed to determine the exact cause of death," police said.
Moonbin "unexpectedly left our world and became a star in the sky", a tribute from his label Fantiago said.
He entered showbiz as a child actor and model in the 2000s. He had his acting debut in 2009 when as an 11-year-old he starred in the popular Korean drama series Boys Over Flowers. At age 18, he joined the popular boy band Astro in 2016.
With a career that spanned his entire life, Moonbin is in a rare group of K-pop stars. While his international appeal is not on the level of BTS or Blackpink, he's wildly popular at home, Rob Schwartz, an Asia correspondent for Billboard Magazine, told the BBC.
He added that K-pop idols are under intense pressure from fans on social media to look and sound perfect, while record producers demand that they churn out hit after hit.
"It's crazy how they have these guys under a microscope," he said.
"Certainly, stars in the West can more or less keep who they're dating a secret. In the K-pop world, it's impossible to keep a secret. Every time they lift a foot, thousands of lines are written about it."
He also noted that Moonbin went on hiatus in 2019-2020 citing his health. "K-pop artists don't really have a life outside being a pop star. They start training at a very young age. They don't go to school or make regular friends. It's really hard for them to see life outside the K-pop world," he said.
Since 2020, Moonbin had been performing with another Astro member Sanha in a duo. Moonbin & Sanha had been in the middle of a world tour, and their last performance was in Bangkok on 8 April.
The label Fantiago said all of Astro's members were returning to Seoul on Thursday to gather for Moonbin's wake. The statement from the label also asked people to "refrain from speculative and malicious reports" so that Moonbin's family could pay their respects in peace.
Moobin's sister Moon Sua is also a K-pop singer, part of the girl group Billie. The siblings had previously spoken in public interviews about their dependence on each other.
South Korea has the highest rate of youth suicide among developed countries. While its overall suicide rate is falling, deaths of those in their 20s are rising. The K-pop industry alone has seen four suicides in recent years.
Singer and actress Goo Hara were found dead at her home in Seoul in 2019. Her close friend, K-pop star Sulli, killed herself after a long struggle with online bullying in the same year. In 2018, Minwoo of boy band 100% died at home, with his label only saying he had suffered cardiac arrest. Jonghyun, the lead singer of SHINee, one of South Korea's biggest boy bands died in 2017.
Moonbin joined Fantagio's trainee program as a child before eventually joining Astro. The group was originally six performers, but one member left in February 2023.
Astro fans - known as "Arohas" - have been mourning Moonbin's death. Known as an all-round performer, he had been seen as the boy band's most celebrated dancer.
Pictures on social media showed fans on Wednesday night laying flowers and post-it notes at impromptu street memorials in South Korea. Fans also strung up purple and silver balloons - colors that had featured prominently at the singer's last performance in Thailand.
At a recent concert, while on the "Diffusion" tour with Sanha to promote the duo's latest EP record, Moonbin told fans that he had been going through a difficult time, Korean broadcaster SBS reported.
"I want to confess one thing, I'm actually feeling really bad. There might have been a lot of signs which people could notice since the concert started, so I'm also very sorry to you guys.
"I'm working out and trying to pick up things that I've left little by little. I chose this job so I need to be happy so that I can make fans happy as well," he said in a live broadcast over social media.
The duo was set to perform in Macau this Saturday, followed by Indonesia and Japan in May.
Source- BBC
Fox News and Dominion reach $787.5 million settlement in defamation lawsuit
Fox News and Dominion have reached a $787.5 million settlement in a defamation suit over false election claims.
Dominion Voting Systems, in a $1.6 billion suit, had accused Fox News of knowingly pushing false conspiracy theories that the voting machine company rigged the 2020 presidential election in Joe Biden's favor, in what Dominion claims was an effort to combat concerns over declining ratings and viewer retention. Fox defended its coverage, dismissing the suit as a "political crusade in search of a financial windfall."
"Truth matters. Lies have consequences," said Justin Nelson, an attorney for Dominion Voting Systems, as he announced details of the company's settlement with Fox News during a press conference Tuesday.
"Today's settlement of $787,500,000 represents vindication and accountability," Nelson said. "Today represents a ringing endorsement for truth and for democracy."
"We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems," Fox News officials said in a statement after an agreement had been reached. "We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards."
"We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues,” the statement said.
Source-ABC
Aaron Carter accidentally drowned after taking drugs
US pop star Aaron Carter accidentally drowned in his bathtub because of drugs he had taken, a coroner's report says.
Carter, 34, the younger brother of the Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter, was found dead at his home in Lancaster, California, on 5 November.
The autopsy has now revealed that his death was caused by drowning due to the effects of sedatives he had taken and gas he had inhaled.
Alprazolam, often sold under the brand name Xanax, was found in his system.
The compressed gas difluoroethane was also detected. The report describes it as a "gas commonly used as a propellant in air spray cleaners" which "can induce feelings of euphoria when inhaled".
Carter was last seen alive when police visited his home in the early hours of 4 November, the Associated Press reports. They were checking on him after he had been seen with an inhalant on an Instagram live video, according to a police report included in the autopsy findings.
Carter had asked the officers to leave. Later that day he missed an appointment with a drug counselor, the police report said.
The following day a woman described as a housekeeper visited Carter's home to offer him coffee. When there was no response she let herself in and found him lying unresponsive in a Jacuzzi-style tub with the jets still running.
Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Carter started his career opening for the boy band Backstreet Boys on a number of tours and concerts.
During the late 90s and early noughties, he sold millions of copies of his four albums, the first of which was when he was only nine years old.
His second album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It), was released in 2000 and went triple platinum. Following the album he supported Britney Spears on the Oops!... I Did It Again tour.
As he grew older, Carter transitioned into rap and also appeared in Broadway musicals and on the US TV show Dancing With The Stars.
He faced a number of struggles, checking in to rehab several times and filing a bankruptcy petition in 2013 over millions of dollars of debt, much of it tax-related.
He also had several run-ins with authorities over drug possession and reckless driving.
Many paid tribute to Carter after his death, including Paris Hilton, Tyler Hilton, and Hilary Duff, and bands New Kids on the Block and *NSYNC.
Source-BBC
Tesla earnings preview for April
After a rip-roaring 50% return year to date, Tesla (TSLA) investors will be keen to keep the good times rolling as the electric vehicle maker reports Q1 earnings after the bell on Wednesday.
Wall Street is expecting Tesla to report $23.37 billion in top-line revenue and EPS of $0.860 on an adjusted basis. That revenue figure would represent a slight dip from the $24.32 million Tesla reported in Q4, but 24.6% higher than a year ago.
In terms of profit, Tesla is expected to report an adjusted net income of $3.03 billion — a billion less than last quarter and $700 million less than a year ago. With revenue staying flat-ish and profit dipping, the effects of margin compression could be at play here.
Tesla instituted a number of price cuts in the U.S., Asia, and some European markets in Q1 of this year, most recently in the U.S. just last week. Investors will be watching how these price cuts affect gross margin figures, which last quarter came in at 23.8%, with automotive gross margin hitting 25.9% — both slightly less than the quarter before.
Wall Street banks such as Evercore ISI have attempted to quantify the price cuts. “If we assume ~$2k US [price] cut ave translates to ~$1k global and then half of that is offset by cost improvements… then $500 cut to gross profit equates to ~100bps of gross margin pressure and implies 19% Q2/Q3 Auto gross margins (rough math,” the analysts said earlier this month.
Similarly, Ryan Brinkman of JPMorgan has been wary of the price cut effect on Tesla’s profitability, as well as other EV-makers.
“We have been cautious about the profit impact of Tesla’s price cuts, writing that the lower prices are negative overall for Tesla, less negative for traditional automakers such as GM and Ford (given they are now likely to lose even more money in the interim on EVs, although have other profit centers to offset such losses), and most negative of all for pure-play battery electric automakers competing with Tesla (such as Rivian), as they, too, are likely to lose more money on EVs although do not have profits elsewhere to offset these losses,” Brinkman wrote earlier in April.
And similar to last quarter, analysts are keying in on the word “demand” as it pertains to production and backlog. In Q1 Tesla delivered around 423K vehicles and produced 440K globally; analysts at Evercore, for instance, would like to hear any indication of how Q2 deliveries are tracking, and if the order backlog is growing. Guggenheim analyst Ronald Jewsikow wrote in a note to clients that week that Tesla's most recent U.S. price cuts indicated "slowing demand" for the EV maker.
Looking further ahead to the post-earnings conference call, investors and analysts will be waiting to hear any progress on Cybertruck production which is slated to begin later this year, any new information on the gen 3 platform discussed at Tesla’s investor day, and more on the timeline ahead for construction of Tesla’s latest gigafactory in Mexico.
Source-Automotive News
US Law Enforcement Partners facilitated Armed Training for TCI Police
The Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force hosted and facilitated an advanced armed policing training event delivered by Law Enforcement Partners from the United States.
This training was delivered to officers from the RTCIPF with students from other British Overseas Territories also in attendance; including the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Bermuda Police Service, and the Royal Anguilla Police Force.
The training, Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT), prepared officers to respond to an active shooter situation. This training was demanding, vigorous, intensive, and designed to prepare first responders to isolate, distract, and neutralize persons seeking to cause harm to our communities.
Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said: ‘We value our relationship and partnership with US Law Enforcement Agencies and I thank the training team for the delivery of an outstanding training event; training which has equipped officers to respond to any high threat to our communities and ensure they are kept safe.
“I was pleased to host colleagues from other British Overseas Territories which have enhanced our ability to support each other for training and operations. All of the officers performed to a high level and were successful through a highly demanding course; I congratulate them on their success.”
Team TCI 2023 CARIFTA Medalists are greeted with a Celebration Breakfast
At the 50th CARIFTA Games Track and Field April 7-10 in Nassau, Bahamas athletes Antwon Walkin and Love Joseph collectively brought back a triad of bronze medals. These medals were achieved one per day of the competition and made the entire Turks and Caicos Islands proud.
Antwon Walkin won two bronze medals at the games, one in Shot Put (6kg) and the other in Discus Throw. In the Shot put (6kg) Walkin threw 15.24m, which is an improvement on his personal best from the JAAA CARIFTA Trials in 2022 where he threw 14.49m.
This comes on the heels of Walkin breaking the National Record for Men's Discus Throw in March earlier this year at the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships, in Kingston Jamaica. At the competition also known as 'Champs', he threw 50.74m. He then broke the record for the second time at the 50th CARIFTA Games in Nassau Bahamas, throwing a progressive 52.25m.
On the Track, Love Joseph is our new rising star who clocked 9:37:46 to take the third-place spot in the U17 Boys 3000m on the second day. According to the Turks and Caicos Islands Amateur Athletics Association (TCAAA), this time was also a new Turks and Caicos Islands National record for the U17 Boys 3000m.
Earlier in the competition Joseph placed fifth in the U17 Boys 1500m and achieved a new personal best of 4:15.33 (Previous PB 4:38.18). This time was also a new Turks and Caicos Islands National record for the U17 Boys 1500m as verified by the TCAAA. Joseph went into the race as the second-slowest seed, hence finishing 5th is a great achievement.
To celebrate the accomplishments of these athletes, the Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission along with Honourable Rachel Taylor Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Social Services, put on a Celebration breakfast on April 13th. Present at this event was Hon. Rachel Taylor, Director of Sports Jarrett Forbes, TCAAA President Ms Edith Skippings, TCAAA General Secretary Rosalie Ingham, Love Joseph and parents along with Antwon Walkin and parents.
The athletes had a chance to share their experiences in preparation and during competition while expressing their gratitude to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands who showed bountiful support.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission has recognised the talent of the medalists and has set aside provisions to develop the athletes.
The Director of Sports Mr Jarrett Forbes shared, "The Sports Commission has an Athlete Assistance Programme which contributes to the development of national athletes with exceptional performance, through athlete assistance grants. The performance displayed by Love Joseph and Antwon Walkin at the recent CARIFTA Games is a great display of their potential in the sport of Track and Field and the Government is committed to nurturing those talents. Athletes who are approved for the Athlete Assistance Programme may be carded in three categories: Senior International, Senior Regional, and Developmental. Antwon and Love will both be awarded Development Cards to assist with their training and preparation for a twelve (12) month period."
Government not worried about investors invoking Belize-UK treaty
The Belize government says it remains confident despite a move by the British Caribbean Bank Limited and Prize Investment Holdings Limited to invoke the bilateral investment treaty between Belize and the United Kingdom over Belmopan’s rejection of the proposed Port of Belize expansion project.
The two companies, which are affiliated with Lord Michael Ashcroft, have filed a notice of arbitration against the government after it refused to permit environmental clearance for the proposed expansion of the Port of Belize Limited and the construction of a cruise port terminal.
The companies are invoking the 1982 treaty which is designed to protect foreign investors from discriminatory or arbitrary government actions. Ashcroft has a history of disputes with the Belizean government and in the past has been involved in legal battles with the government over issues such as taxes and the nationalization of assets.
In 2009, the treaty was invoked when the then government of Prime Minister Dean Barrow nationalized Belize Telecommunications Limited (BTL). Belize ended up paying over half a billion dollars (One Belize dollar=US$0.49 cents) when the court ruled in favor of the former owner of the telecoms giant.
Prime Minister John Briceño told reporters that the circumstances are different and that throughout the process, the government has been following the law.
“We have always said that we have to follow the law, we have to follow the process and all projects, especially huge projects like the Waterloo project is a huge one and we have to make sure that we do it right that we ensure that we take the necessary steps to protect our environment,” he said.
He said the National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) has ensured that it follows “every step of the way and they decided as a group – it’s a group of over twelve individuals – they decided that they don’t think it should be approved based on what is in front of them.
“ If there is a petition against the project, again it is the right of our citizens, it is their democratic right to express their views for or against and that’s okay and we will take that into consideration.
“As to the investors of the Waterloo Group, if they want to invoke that treaty, again that is their right. It is a treaty between Belize and the United Kingdom over the protection of investments and so they’ll do that and we as a government, we have to defend the interests of Belize so again it is within their right to be able to invoke the protection under that treaty.”
Prime Minister Briceño says no one wants to pick a fight with anyone, “especially with Mister Ashcroft who has deep pockets; and we don’t look forward to that, but we have to protect the interests of Belize.
“But it is a big difference between what’s happening with Waterloo and what happened with BTL. With BTL, the government illegally nationalized the company and the government knew that they would have to compensate because they took away an asset.
“I think that it was foolish for the government of Belize to drag us through the courts – like a James Bond movie, we were in Paris, we were in London, we were in New York, we were in Miami, we were in Central America, all over the world having these fights with Lord Ashcroft when the Prime Minister then knew that they would have to pay”
Prime Minister Briceño said his administration would not be doing that, adding “We have not nationalized anything, we are not doing anything illegal.
“All we are doing is following the process of the law. We know that Belize is recognized as an environmental paradise and that we believe that we also have a responsibility, not only to Belizeans but to humanity in protecting the reef.
“It’s a God-given gift and it is our responsibility to protect it for future generations. So we have to ensure that we do it right. And if the Waterloo Group could meet the criteria that has been set by the NEAC, the government will fully support what they are doing,” he told reporters.
Source-CMC
3-DAY PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
GENERAL SITUATION: A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES TO LINGER IN THE VICINITY OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND WARM WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS POSSIBLE IN THE AFTERNOON
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS, INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KNOTS TONIGHT
SEAS: 3 FEET OR LESS NEARSHORE, 4 TO 6 FEET OFFSHORE
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 86°F 30°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 72°F 22°C
SUNSET: 7:07 PM
NEXT LOW TIDE: 3:04 PM (2.0 FT)
NEXT HIGH TIDE: 9:15 PM (0.7 FT)
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: THE STATIONARY FRONT WILL DRIFT EASTWARD WHILE WEAKENING DURING THE WEEKEND. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BRING FAIR WEATHER CONDITIONS.
FORECAST FOR SATURDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND WARM WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS POSSIBLE
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 3 FEET OR LESS NEARSHORE, 4 TO 6 FEET OFFSHORE
SUNRISE: 6:29 AM
SUNSET: 7:08 PM
HIGH TIDE: 3:57 AM (3.0 FT) 4:14 PM (2.3 FT)
LOW TIDE: 10:31 AM (1.0 FT) 10:25 PM (0.7 FT)
FORECAST FOR SUNDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND WARM
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 3 FEET OR LESS NEARSHORE, 4 TO 6 FEET OFFSHORE
SUNRISE: 6:28 AM
SUNSET: 7:08 PM
HIGH TIDE: 4:56 AM (3.0 FT) 5:19 PM (2.3 FT)
LOW TIDE: 11:25 AM (0.7 FT) 11:31 PM (0.7 FT)
President Biden in Ireland: “The world needs Ireland and the United States and our limitless imaginations.”
President Joe Biden on Thursday addressed the Irish Parliament. He is just the 4th American president to deliver remarks in that room to Irish lawmakers, following in the footsteps of Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and John F. Kennedy -- the first Irish Catholic president and someone who was beloved in Ireland.
In addition to talking about the connection between the two countries, and all of the ways they can cooperate on global issues, the president also went to great lengths to talk about what Ireland is doing to help Ukraine. He spoke of how they've worked together with the EU on sanctions on Russia, and also how, despite being such a small country, has taken in 80 thousand Ukrainian refugees over the past year.
Friday, it’s all about the president’s Catholic faith and his Irish roots. He heads to the West Coast to County Mayo where his Blewitt ancestors are from. He will deliver a big speech tonight in front of the cathedral where his great, great, great grandfather sold bricks to help build it, taking the money he earned from the sale to emigrate to the United States and then move to Scranton, PA.
Source-ABC