Latest news with #Ripples
Wales Online
4 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Plans for larger ice cream parlour on Swansea seafront rejected after row
Plans for larger ice cream parlour on Swansea seafront rejected after row There would have been a new, larger ice-cream parlour and a flat above but no garage Ripples cafe and ice-cream parlour, West Cross, behind which is West Cross Garage (Image: Richard Youle ) Plans to replace a popular garage and ice-cream parlour in Swansea with a larger ice-cream parlour and flat, which led to nearly 270 objections, have been turned down on appeal. The development would have meant West Cross Garage having to relocate from Mumbles Road or close, and a Welsh Government-appointed planning inspector said losing this type of employment use at the site should not be permitted because the garage was viable and, while of "limited architectural merit", was not harmful to the character or appearance of the area. The inspector, Richard James, also said the two-bedroom flat planned above the ice-cream parlour was in a zone with the highest risk of sea flooding and "highly vulnerable development" in terms of planning policy. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here The appellant had argued via a planning agent that the garage was in an inappropriate location among an "attractive residential area" and didn't have adequate parking. The agent also said the proposed flat was on the first floor and therefore well above any potential flooding, and that their client planned to build a 1.5m seawall - the top third of which would be glass - to protect the site. But Mr James' decision report said people living in the flat would have to leave it via the groundfloor in the event of coastal flooding and that it was therefore "significantly harmful to future occupant safety". The report said: "Such an obvious conflict with national policy cannot be overlooked." He added that the introduction of a raised section of seawall would not change its flood risk categorisation. Article continues below West Cross Garage pictured after it had closed for the day (Image: Richard Youle ) Turning to the design of the proposed ice-cream parlour and flat, which would be adjacent rather than attached to the neighbouring house as West Cross Garage and Ripples cafe and ice-cream parlour currently are, Mr James said while modern in appearance it would look "boxy", "oppressive" and "harmfully imposing". The appellant said the three-storey building's design and size had been reduced following pre-application advice from the council's planning department and, while taller, had a smaller footprint than the existing two businesses. The development, according to the appellant, would also result in a net increase in four full and part-time jobs due to the larger ice-cream parlour. Mr James said it would nonetheless result in the loss of garage-type employment use, which was a "significant and overriding consideration". The appeal by Business Advice Ltd director David Morgan came after the council's planning department turned his planning application down on three grounds. The application, which included two parking spaces for the flat and one for ice-cream parlour staff, had led to 268 letters of objection and two in support. Previous plans in 2022 to knock down Ripples and West Cross Garage and build a detached house prompted 1,174 objection letters and were also refused by the council. Article continues below Mr Morgan said he didn't wish to comment on the latest planning appeal decision. The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted West Cross Garage and Ripples but no-one responded at the time of going to press.
CairoScene
03-05-2025
- Business
- CairoScene
US-Based Ripple Secures License for Blockchain-Powered Payments in UAE
Ripples is the first blockchain-powered payments provider authorised to operate its cross-border platform across the UAE. May 03, 2025 US-based platform Ripple has secured licensing from Dubai's Financial Services Authority (DFSA), becoming the first blockchain-powered payments provider authorised to operate its cross-border platform, Ripple Payments, across the UAE. The approval grants Ripple access to the UAE's $400 billion international trade corridor and its $40 billion annual remittance flow, where businesses can now leverage faster, cost-efficient blockchain transactions under full regulatory oversight. The licence solidifies Ripple's foothold in the Middle East, a region accounting for 20% of its global client base since opening its Dubai office in 2020. With the UAE's progressive regulatory framework, enterprise adoption, and tech-savvy demographic, Ripple aims to accelerate institutional use of digital assets. Central to this push is RLUSD, its forthcoming USD-backed stablecoin, designed to facilitate secure, scalable settlements for banks and fintechs navigating the Gulf's high-volume trade and remittance demands.
NBC Sports
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
To prevent prank calls next year, the NFL has plenty of work to do
The 2025 draft has reintroduced millions to the lost art of the prank phone call. The Jerky Boys did it. Bart Simpson has been doing it since 1989. It was one of the funniest moments in what had to have been one of Jerry Jones's favorite '80s movies, Porky's. Growing up in the '70s, when we had three TV channels (PBS didn't count, except when they rolled out the TV cart at school to show us the latest episode of Ripples) and the home video game technology generally sucked, we made prank calls. A lot of prank calls. (We tried to be a little more high-minded than asking, for example, 'Is your refrigerator running?' or 'Do you have Prince Albert in a can?') Now, the prank call is back. With a vengeance. And the NFL has a problem. This year, there were more than a few prank calls made to draft picks. It wasn't just Shedeur Sanders. It happened to Abdul Carter, Ty Warren, Josh Conerly Jr., Isaiah Bond, Kyle McCord, and others. Sanders ended up being the biggest of them all. Because his name was the biggest in the entire draft pool. Because the prank call, supposedly from Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis, traced to their biggest rival, the Falcons. Because, despite the NFL's misguided effort to paint this as some sort of serious breach of confidentiality, the league office sent Sanders's number to roughly 2,000 people. As the NFL under Roger Goodell has done in the past (most notably, to the Saints in 2012), the league has attempted to address a possible cultural problem by hammering the one team it caught red handed. But the NFL has direct responsibility for this one, and the league office needs to make changes far more substantive than wagging a finger at the 32 franchises and saying, 'This better not happen again.' For starters, no prospect's phone number ever should be communicated via the email address that distributes the daily transaction report. That's what happened with Sanders's updated contact information. And that's what put his phone number in Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbricht's email inbox. (We still find the official 'wandering by an open iPad that happened to have that one email visible' explanation to be convenient, and fishy.) The contact information for the draft prospects should go to at most three people per team: owner, G.M., head coach. Or it should go to only one person, with the team designating in advance who will receive it. And the very clear instruction should be that no one else in the organization may be given the number. While that would go a long way toward preventing leaks initiated by one of the 32 teams, it hardly solves the problem. Although Sanders said during his in-draft livestream that he received a new phone specifically for the draft from Boost Mobile (this would explain the separate email with his new number), most players are still using the cell phone that they have had for months if not years. Others have that number. Current friends. Former friends. Former friends who, in the aftermath of a failed romantic relationship, may now be enemies. The punishment of the Falcons has caused many to assume (incorrectly) that all of the prank calls trace back to one of the NFL's teams. Common sense suggests that most if not all of the others came from someone who already has the player's number, or who specifically obtained it from someone who does. (As we've mentioned on PFT Live a couple of times this week, a former player once received a prank call from one of his friends that he'd been traded. While on the way to the airport to fly to his new city, the player learned the truth when he called his agent.) One way to fix this would be to send new brand phones to all the prospects. Of course, that's a lot of phones. Unless the league can find an Official NFL Draft Prospect Burner Phone partner who will provide the phones for free (and also pay the NFL a giant pile of money), the league will have to pay for all of those new phones. (And if the NFL has by next year an Official NFL Draft Prospect Burner Phone partner, you're welcome.) Then there's the simple fact that the prank-call phenomenon will prompt potential copycats to accept the challenge of positioning themselves to do it in 2026. With mock drafts already popping up everywhere (unfortunately), it's not hard to come up with a list of the players who will be waiting for a phone call next April. If the prospect has the same phone number a year from now, the foundation is already in place for another round of prank calls. Another possibility that has been raised here and elsewhere (Bucs G.M. Jason Licht suggested it during an appearance with Rich Eisen) is a pivot to FaceTime. It would be instantly obvious that the call is coming from a draft room, not a dorm room. Then there's the nuclear option. The only way to neutralize the impact of a prank call. As a reader suggested via email (and this is one of those rare moments where I don't regret opening and reviewing them all), why do they need to call the player BEFORE he's drafted? It's not as if the player can say, 'No thanks.' It's a draft. Make the pick, and then call the player. The moment won't change. The tears will still flow. The owner, G.M., and/or head coach will have a chance to utter the same old cliches that will be clipped off for social media. And every player who gets the call after he has been officially picked won't be hearing the NFL equivalent of, 'Wanna lick? Psych!' Time and again, the NFL has shown that it is far more reactive than proactive. When reacting to the prank-call epidemic of 2025, the NFL must be very proactive — and creative — when it comes to ensuring that those who try to make prank calls next April will be wasting their time. Next April, we'll find out whether the league's strategy has worked. If there's even one prank call, the NFL will get an 'F' in what is a very clear and simple pass-fail proposition.
News.com.au
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Harness racing: Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable will have its first runner in New Zealand
Leviathan owner Mick Harvey has paved the way for champion Victorian trainers Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin to try something new. For all their stunning success over 15 years, Stewart and Tonkin have never raced a horse in New Zealand. That will change when exciting two-year-old filly Ripples tackles a heat of the rich Young Guns series at Auckland's Alexandra Park on Friday night. Ripples created a huge impression winning her heat and final of the Bathurst Gold Tiara series last month. 'It's an exciting opportunity for me personally, but I'd love to think this is a great thing for the sport, too,' Harvey said. 'It's amazing to think Emma and Clayton haven't had a runner in NZ before and this is a pilot for things to come and shows them how easy it can be to do it. 'Especially racing in Auckland, which is only a three-hour flight. 'The Kiwis have been coming over and raiding our big races with huge success for decades and it's great to see the tide turning a bit now with horses like Leap To Fame, Swayzee, Just Believe and Keayang Zahara going over and winning their big races. 'I'm keen to be part of it and to encourage Emma and Clayton to do it more often, too.' Ripples is booked on a flight to Auckland on Wednesday and will challenge for favouritism from gate three. 'It's an ideal draw and we've got the best driver over there, Blair Orange, taking the reins for us,' Harvey said. 'It's the heat this week and the final a week later, so she'll only be away from home for 10 or 11 days.' Harvey had a huge opinion of Ripples, but concedes taking on the Kiwis will be another level. 'We all know how hard their top horses and trainers are to beat, but I think this is the right filly,' he said. 'Ripples isn't eligible for a lot of big Aussie two-year-old races, but there's three or four other big races for her in Auckland towards the end of the year. 'All going well, this trip will be a forerunner to going back then.' Friday night's race is a big one for the NSW-based Harvey, best known as a former part-owner of three-time Miracle Mile winner King Of Swing, who also bred one of Ripples' main dangers, The Queens Gambit (gate one). 'I still own 25 per cent of her, too,' he said. Harvey said Australia's richest juvenile race, the $500,000 Protostar at Albion Park on July 19, could be another target for Ripples. He is also focused on the Queensland Derby and Rising Sun with his brilliant recent purchase, former Victorian pacer Hesitate. 'It hasn't quite gone to plan with him a few runs so far, but he's had excuses and what's most important is that Luke (McCarthy, trainer-driver) absolutely loves him,' he said. 'He's having a bit of a freshen-up and then we'll attack Queensland with him. We think he's right up to all the big races.'
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
‘Ripples' Premieres in New York: A Presentation of Struggles from Xinjiang, China
On March 15, a dense fog enveloped New York as long lines formed outside the Producer's Club, where the documentary 'Ripples' had its U.S. premiere at 8 PM. 'The criminal will commit any further crime to hide the truth' — Alex Davidson NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, March 20, 2025 / / -- On the evening of March 15, a dense fog enveloped New York as long lines formed outside the Producer's Club, where the documentary ' Ripples ' was set to have its U.S. premiere at 8 PM. The Producer's Club, an iconic theater in New York City, is just a few steps away from Times Square. 'Ripples' uses a documentary approach to focus on the inspiring stories of four Uyghur women from Xinjiang, China. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has won Best Film at both the International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. In anticipation of this special film, the Producers' Club created an invitation and several posters which were displayed in advance. Despite heavy fog on the day of the screening, the turnout of eager New York audiences exceeded expectations, prompting the cinema to add two additional screening rooms. Liam, the manager of Producer's Club, hosted the pre-screening discussion, expressing how the stories of these women from a distant ancient country resonate closely with those of us across the Pacific. Throughout the screening, the audience responded with sighs and laughter as the narrative shifted. After the film concluded, many viewers remained in their seats, deep in thought. One audience member, unable to contain their emotions, told the media that 'Ripples' dispelled the clouds of misinformation, and the experiences of the four women chasing their dreams in Xinjiang were uplifting. Dan Salerno, a senior consultant from Documentary Business, expressed preliminary interest in acquiring the film, while the Brooklyn Film Festival extended an olive branch to the production. As viewers exited the theater, discussions continued in the lounge area, lingering as they debated the film's creative approach, the current state of Uyghur women in China, and how U.S. - China relations might be better sustained. Twenty minutes may seem brief, but the reflections and discussions it prompted will last much longer. This film and some others were screened by Intellect Pictures - a film production, finance and distribution Corporation based in Los Angeles and Toronto. The company distributes more than 100 films with a total production budget of more than $90 million. The company produces several short and full-length feature and films and documentaries per year. One more documentary film-invastigation, which was screened in NY this time was 'Death of Alexander Alekhin' about the 4th World Chess Champion, murdered in Estoril, Portugal between March 23 and 24 in Estoril. The documentary 'Death of Alexander Alekhine 's' delves into the enigmatic circumstances surrounding the death of the fourth World Chess Champion, Alexander Alekhine, who died in Estoril, Portugal, in March 1946. While the official narrative attributed his death to choking on food, the film explores various theories that have emerged over the years, including potential foul play or assassination due to his controversial political affiliations and past during World War II. As the investigation unfolds, the documentary presents a thorough examination of Alekhine's life, his chess career, and the socio-political climate of the time, shedding light on the possible motives behind any foul play. It interviews historians, chess experts, and individuals familiar with Alekhine's life, piecing together clues from his final days. Ultimately, the film suggests that the most plausible explanation for his death involves a conspiracy linked to his past. This investigation posits that Alekhine's death was not merely a tragic accident but rather a calculated act, leaving viewers with a chilling reminder of the complexities surrounding his life and legacy. The documentary encourages further exploration and discussion about the darker aspects of history that often remain obscured. It encourages further exploration and discussion about the darker aspects of history that often remain obsc. The documentary is the result of a comprehensive 3 years investigation conducted by an international team of professionals from five countries: United States, Portugal, France, England, and Russia. This collaborative effort involved over 100 specialists across diverse fields, including investigators, pathologists, doctors, biochemists, forensic scientists, historians, and filmmakers. The film crew meticulously retraced Alekhine's final days, conducting on-site investigations at the Park Hotel in Estoril, as well as traveling to key locations in Lisbon, Paris, London, and Moscow, where initial investigations took place. Alex Davidson
