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Wellington bakery Myrtle announces closure a week after winning top awardTORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC), the world's leading manufacturer of civil helicopters, secured approval from EASA authority, Argentina, Japan, and India for its improved empennage on all Robinson helicopter models. This follows the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) prior approval of the same configuration for the R66 in 2023 and R44 and R22 in 2024. The new empennage includes a symmetrical horizontal stabilizer and tailcone, is now standard on all newly manufactured Robinson helicopters. Since securing approval from the FAA, the company has delivered nearly 700 retrofit kits, in addition to about 250 new production aircraft with the new empennage. Robinson Helicopter is currently offering a retrofit kit for existing R22, R44, and R66 aircraft at a discounted rate of $3,600 USD through the end of December 2025. Horizontal stabilizers can be purchased through authorized dealers, service centers, or by calling Robinson Helicopter customer service. The symmetrical horizontal stabilizer is a key improvement that enhances the safety and performance of Robinson helicopters. By improving roll stability, particularly during high-speed flights, it contributes to a smoother and safer flight experience. Additionally, the symmetrical stabilizer helps reduce the right-rolling tendency when the aircraft is operated outside of the approved flight envelope. "This is a significant milestone in our commitment to continuous safety, reliability, and customer satisfaction around the world," said David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company. "This certification is a testament to our team's tireless pursuit in enhancing the Robinson flying experience and setting new standards for safety and performance in the industry." About Robinson Helicopter Company For more than 50 years, Robinson Helicopter Company has been at the forefront of the helicopter industry by delivering safety-enhancing technologies, including OEM-designed crash-resistant fuel cells, 4K cockpit video cameras, autopilot systems, and NVG-compatible cockpits. Robinson is committed to developing, manufacturing, and supporting the most reliable and efficient helicopters in the industry. For additional information, visit www.robinsonheli.com . Contact: Robyn E. Eagles Robyn.eagles@robinsonheli.com 323-547-5102 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/97e6f39f-6622-4025-bce0-525932cca657 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/03fc0ff4-fd26-4c7b-a23d-41f34c25d5a0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/be56e968-42b5-41df-b62a-a17690dc55f0 This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Quest Partners LLC Grows Holdings in DNOW Inc. (NYSE:DNOW)Right-wing commentator Nick Fuentes has been charged with misdemeanor battery after a woman accused him of pepper-spraying her after she showed up at his doorstep. Police arrested Fuentes and released him in late November for the incident. The woman told police he sprayed her and then pushed her onto the concrete outside his Illinois home. A police report said she had no visible injuries but that her eyes were "watery." TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO'S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT'S ADMINISTRATION Fuentes caused an uproar earlier that month with a post on X that said: "Your body, my choice," referencing the abortion-rights "my body, my choice" slogan. Fuentes told police that since he “posted a political joke online,” he has received death threats and people have appeared at his house unannounced. He also told police he was “in fear for his life." GREATEST COMEBACK? HERE’S HOW TRUMP STACKS UP IN WHITE HOUSE HISTORY He will make his first court appearance on Dec. 19 in the case. Fuentes has a prominent social media following and is known for being highly controversial. He was banned under Twitter's previous ownership before Elon Musk reinstated his account. He posted his mugshot on his X account along with a post that said, "Free me n***a." In 2022, Fuentes had a dinner with Donald Trump that was highly publicized and stirred controversy. Trump suggested he did not mean to dine with Fuentes, but had a dinner with rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) scheduled and he brought Fuentes. He said he didn't know who Fuentes was. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Democrats used the dinner to smear Trump, saying for any other political party, such an act would be "instantly disqualifying." Fuentes aligned with Trump more closely than Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election but did not endorse him. Before the election, he said he believed, “Without serious changes we are headed for a catastrophic loss."Donald Trump has yet to move back into the White House and already fissures are opening in his coalition, amid squabbling between Elon Musk and his Silicon Valley "tech bros" and his hardcore Republican backers. At the heart of the internecine sniping is Trump's central election issue -- immigration -- and the H1-B visas that allow companies to bring foreigners with specific qualifications to the United States. The permits are widely used in Silicon Valley, and Musk -- who himself came to the United States from South Africa on an H1-B -- is a fervent advocate. The world's richest man, who bankrolled Trump's election campaign and has become a close advisor, posted on X Thursday that welcoming elite engineering talent from abroad was "essential for America to keep winning." Vivek Ramaswamy, appointed by Trump as Musk's co-chair on a new advisory board on government efficiency, suggested that companies prefer foreign workers because they lack an "American culture," which he said venerates mediocrity. "A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers," he posted, warning that, without a change in attitude, "we'll have our asses handed to us by China." Skepticism over the benefits of immigration is a hallmark of Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement and the billionaires' remarks angered immigration hawks who accused them of ignoring US achievements in technological innovation. Incoming White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted a 2020 speech in which Trump marveled at the American "culture" that had "harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the Internet." The post appeared calculated to remind critics that Trump won November's election on a platform of getting tough on immigration and boosting American manufacturing. But it was Michael Faraday, an English scientist, who discovered that an electric current could be produced by passing a magnet through a copper wire and Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealander, who first split the atom. And Alexander Graham Bell may have died a US citizen but he was a British subject in Canada when he invented the telephone. Trump voiced opposition to H1-B visas during his successful first run for the White House in 2016, calling them "unfair for our workers" while acknowledging that he used foreign labor in his own businesses. The Republican placed restrictions on the system when he took office, but the curbs were lifted by President Joe Biden. Trump is known for enjoying the gladiatorial spectacle when conflict breaks out in his inner circle. He has been conspicuously silent during the hostilities that Politico characterized as "Musk vs MAGA." Many MAGA figures have been agitating for a complete closure of America's borders while the problem of illegal entries is tackled, and hoping for a steer from Trump that would reassure them that he remains firm in his "America First" stance. For some long-time loyalists, Silicon Valley has already inserted itself too deeply into MAGA politics. "We welcomed the tech bros when they came running our way to avoid the 3rd grade teacher picking their kid's gender -- and the obvious Biden/Harris economic decline," said Matt Gaetz, the scandal-hit congressman forced to withdraw after being nominated by Trump to run the Justice Department. "We did not ask them to engineer an immigration policy." When Musk almost single-handedly blew up a deal painstakingly hammered out between Democrats and Republicans to set the 2025 federal budget, Democrats used "President Musk" to mock Trump, who is famously sensitive about being upstaged. It remains to be seen whether these cracks can be smoothed out or if they are a portent of further strife, but critics point to the chaos in Trump's first term as a potential indicator. "Looking forward to the inevitable divorce between President Trump and Big Tech," said far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, a MAGA figure with so much influence that she had a seat on Trump's plane during the campaign. "We have to protect President Trump from the technocrats." Loomer has subsequently complained of censorship after she was stripped of her paying subscribers on X, which is owned by Musk. "Full censorship of my account simply because I called out H1B visas," she posted. "This is anti-American behavior by tech oligarchs. What happened to free speech?" rle/ft/sms
By DEE-ANN DURBIN and MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press SEATAC, Washington (AP) — Background music is no longer an afterthought at many airports, which are hiring local musicians and carefully curating playlists to help lighten travelers’ moods . London’s Heathrow Airport built a stage to showcase emerging British performers for the first time this summer. The program was so successful the airport hopes to bring it back in 2025. Nashville International Airport has five stages that host more than 800 performances per year, from country musicians to jazz combos. In the Dominican Republic , Punta Cana International Airport greets passengers with live merengue music. Tiffany Idiart and her two nieces were delighted to hear musicians during a recent layover at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport . “I like it. There’s a lot of people here and they can all hear it,” said Grace Idiart, 9. “If their flight got delayed or something like that, they could have had a hard day. And so the music could have made them feel better.” Airports are also carefully curating their recorded playlists. Detroit Metro Airport plays Motown hits in a tunnel connecting its terminals. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas has a playlist of local artists compiled by an area radio station. Singapore’s Changi Airport commissioned a special piano accompaniment for its giant digital waterfall. Music isn’t a new phenomenon in airport terminals. Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports,” an album released in 1978, helped define the ambient music genre. It’s minimalist and designed to calm. But Barry McPhillips, the head of international creative for Mood Media, which provides music for airports and other public spaces, said technology is enabling background music to be less generic and more tailored to specific places or times of day. Mood Media – formerly known as Muzak – develops playlists to appeal to business travelers or families depending on who’s in the airport at any given time. It might program calmer music in the security line but something more energizing in the duty-free store. “We see it as a soundscape,” McPhillips said. “We design for all of these moments.” There’s a science to Mood Music’s decisions on volume, tempo, even whether to play a song in a major key versus a minor one, he added. “How do we want to affect their mood at that moment?” McPhillips said. “It’s not just like, ‘Here’s a load of songs.’ It’s a load of songs for that 10-minute segment, and then we move to the next 10 minutes.” At the same time, many airports are going low-tech, hiring local musicians to serenade travelers and give them a sense of the place they’re passing through. Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports have more than 100 live performances each year. Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport began a live music program five years ago and now has two stages featuring local artists. Tami Kuiken, the manager of airport music in Seattle, said the Seattle-Tacoma airport launched its live music program about a decade ago after a city commissioner heard live music at the airport in Austin, Texas . “The idea was like, ’Man, why doesn’t Seattle have music? We’re a music city too,” Kuiken said. At first, the airport created a playlist featuring emerging artists along with famous ones like Pearl Jam . Then it decided to try live musicians for a 12-week trial. It was so successful that the airport now features live musicians daily and is building new performance spaces. “People’s anxiety levels are very high when they’re traveling,” Kuiken said. “The feedback that we started getting was that once they got through the checkpoint and they were greeted with music, all of a sudden their anxiety and stress levels dropped.” The programs also benefit musicians, who get paid to perform and gain wider exposure. When Colorado Springs Airport announced a live music program in March, more than 150 musicians applied. It now hosts two two-hour performances each week. David James, a singer and guitarist who plays at Seattle’s airport about once a week, said waking up in time for a daytime gig took some adjustment. But he’s gained new fans from all over the world. “I get really sweet responses from people all the time, saying, ‘That was so soothing to be able to just sit and listen to music in between flights,’” James said. “So it feels like it’s especially therapeutic for people.” Country stars like Blake Shelton and Keith Urban have come through Nashville’s airport and interacted with local musicians, said Stacey Nickens, the airport’s vice president of corporate communications and marketing. Shelton even gave one his guitar. Otto Stuparitz, a musicologist and lecturer at the University of Amsterdam who has studied airport music, said airports should think carefully about their selections. Music that’s meant to be actively listened to – like live music or catchy pop songs – can be very distracting in an already chaotic environment, he said. He has noticed some airports – especially in Europe — turning off piped melodies altogether. But McPhillips said big spaces like airports can feel cold and unwelcoming without background music. “A well-crafted audio strategy is one that people aren’t particularly cognizant of,” he said. “They just know they’re having a good time and that it’s appropriate.” Durbin reported from Detroit.
Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Bill, the co-owner of Acai Underworld at Landsdowne in the outer south-western suburbs of Sydney regularly turns away 100 carloads of customers a night because the car park is already full. He’s become a cult figure on social media. His food truck goes through about 100 bright purple 10-kilogram buckets of frozen acai pulp a week, which he transforms into delicious acai-based desserts with toppings including granola, banana, strawberries, Biscoff, peanut butter and Nutella. Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Fetching latest articles
The number of affordable homes started in London has fallen 88 per cent, new statistics have revealed, with some boroughs starting just one new affordable property each in the space of a year. Only 3,156 affordable homes began construction across the whole of Greater London between April 2023 and March of this year, down from 26,386 starts in the previous 12 months, according to Government data. Bexley, Harrow, Richmond-upon-Thames, and the ‘square mile’ of the City of London each saw only one new affordable property started. Work began on just two in Kensington and Chelsea, and only three each in Brent, Enfield and Lambeth. In Newham, four got started. ‘Affordable housing ’ is a wide-ranging category which includes homes let at rents of no more than 80 per cent of local market rates, as well as shared ownership homes and social rent properties which are set at around 50 per cent of market levels, among other property types. London’s 88 per cent reduction in affordable homes started in the last financial year compares with a 39 per cent fall across the whole of England, where starts fell from 71,771 in 2022/23 to 43,439 in 2023/24. A Government spokesman said the statistics “emphasise the scale of the housing crisis we have inherited” and that changes to the planning system, along with increased funding and making local housing targets mandatory, would improve the situation. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her recent Budget a £500m “top up” to the previous Conservative Government’s £11.5bn England-wide Affordable Homes Programme. Of that extra £500m, London was allocated £100m, bringing the capital’s total share to £4.1bn . Rob Anderson, research director at the Centre for London think tank, said: “While policy change such as planning reform to unlock areas on the ‘grey’ belt or incentivise housebuilding on brownfield land is a step in the right direction, it will not be enough to turn the corner on this crisis... “The £500m uplift announced in the recent Budget was welcome, [but] the evidence suggests it will not be enough to deliver the number of social homes needed - estimates range from £4.6bn a year as a minimum, while a comprehensive programme could require up to £15.1bn annually. “That’s why the upcoming spending review [in the spring of next year] is crucial. The Government needs to commit to a real step-change in investment, collaborating with the mayor, local authorities, and housing providers to deliver on their housebuilding targets. “These are significant sums. But housing is a foundational issue – it affects our health, our productivity and is key to sustainability. If the Government really wants to fix the foundations, reduce waiting lists for the NHS, kickstart a new era of growth and achieve its net-zero targets, housing is the place to start.” The London boroughs which saw the most affordable homes started in 2023/24 were Barking and Dagenham (584 starts, down from 1,021 the previous year), Greenwich (406, down from 2,615) and Redbridge (351, down from 575). Andy Hulme, chief executive of housing association The Hyde Group, said: “At a time when record numbers of homeless children are living in temporary accommodation, this sharp fall in affordable housing starts should be concerning for everyone. “Unfortunately, this will lead to more people becoming homeless in the coming months and years, as less affordable housing is being delivered at a time when the demand for affordable housing is increasing. “However, the most acute housing problem is the steep long-term fall in the supply of social housing, which has fallen off a cliff over the past thirty years... “To tackle the housing emergency, we need more grant funding to build more social homes and we need a more ambitious ten-year rent settlement that includes a fair approach to rent convergence.” A spokesman at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “These statistics emphasise the scale of the housing crisis we have inherited. We will fix this by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation. “We will also make changes to the planning system, restore mandatory housing targets for councils, and we have boosted the Affordable Homes Programme by £500m. “Everywhere must play its part to bring the housing crisis to an end and we will work in close partnership with the mayor to radically boost housebuilding in the capital and build the homes that London needs.” A spokeswoman for mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The disastrous inheritance from the previous Government has left national housebuilding on its knees, with developers previously predicting housebuilding could fall to the lowest level since the Second World War. “While the impact of this legacy is being felt most acutely in London, it is apparent across the country, with the Office for Budget Responsibility projecting housing completions will fall this year and next. “Despite this, thousands of affordable homes are still being built across London, with the mayor’s success on affordable housing meaning the capital is well placed to carry on building homes, even during this incredibly tough period. “Under his tenure the mayor has started more new council homes than any time since the 1970s, and Sadiq will continue to work hand-in-hand with the new Government to turn the tide on the last 14 years of underinvestment in housebuilding, helping to create a better, fairer London for everyone.” A spokeswoman for London Councils, the capital’s local government association, said: “Despite massive challenges, boroughs are working hard to accelerate housebuilding and have made solid progress in recent years. London saw more council-built homes started in 2022 than any year since the 1970s. “However, market conditions for starting to build new housing are currently incredibly tough. There are 287,000 potential new homes in London with planning permission, including 70,000 affordable homes, that have yet to be built. There are a lot of barriers to unlocking these sites – such as skyrocketing construction costs, and in recent years, a lack of capital funding and infrastructure. “On top of this, London's higher land values mean that current grant levels are insufficient to secure the viability of schemes. Many boroughs can’t make up the shortfall – across London there’s a cumulative £700m funding gap in social housing budgets. “We are committed to overcoming these barriers to our building ambitions, working closely with Government and the Greater London Authority.”
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Trudeau, Carney push back over Trump’s ongoing 51st state comments
President Joe Biden has said the US will try to bring home one of the longest-held American hostages following the sudden collapse of the Syrian government. Speaking at the White House, Biden said the US must first pinpoint the location of Austin Tice, with Syria in chaos. Mr Tice, a freelance journalist, is thought to have been taken captive close to Damascus on 14 August 2012 while he was covering the country's civil war. On Sunday, rebel fighters seized the Syrian capital in the culmination of a lightning offensive launched two weeks ago. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country. Biden said Assad's exit was a "fundamental act of justice" after decades of repression, but also "a moment of risk and uncertainty" for the Middle East. "We are mindful that there are Americans in Syria," Biden said on Sunday, "including those who reside there, as well as Austin Tice, who was take captive more than 12 years ago. "We remain committed to returning him to his family." On his way out of the room, Biden turned to answer a question from the media about Tice. "We believe he's alive," said the president. "We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet." The president added: "We have to identify where he is." Mr Tice, 43, was last seen in a video, blindfolded and in apparent distress, posted online weeks after his capture. While no government or group claimed responsibility for his disappearance, US officials soon said they believed that the former US Marine was being held by the Syrian government. Mr Tice's sister, Abigail Edaburn, told the BBC on Friday they believe he is still in Syria. "We don't know the exact circumstances of the place that he's being held, but we do know it is in Syria and that he is healthy and well," she said. "I don't know how much I can say, but there have been independent, trusted sources that have been able to verify this information," she added. The US has about 900 troops in Syria, and Biden said on Sunday he planned for those forces to remain. The president also said US forces had conducted "dozens" of what he called "precision air strikes" on Sunday against Islamic State group camps and operations in eastern Syria. President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday that the US should not intervene militarily in Syria. "THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT," he wrote on social media. The Syrian opposition that brought down Assad is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has been designated a terrorist group by the Biden administration. The US, UK, UN and others consider HTS as an al-Qaeda affiliate, though HTS says it broke off ties with the Sunni Islamist organisation years ago.None
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