Latest news with #Savage
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Megan Thee Stallion just officially kicked off Hot Girl Summer in Miami at Swim Week
Talk about bringing the heat. Megan Thee Stallion channeled a supermodel Thursday night, strutting in her very first Paraiso Miami Swim Week at the tents set up at Collins Park in Miami Beach. The 'Savage' singer, who was last in town promoting her Chicas Divertidas Tequila at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, wasn't just making a celebrity appearance. The 30-year-old stunner just launched her own bathing suit line conveniently named after her 2019 breakthrough hit, 'Hot Girl Summer.' Models of all shapes and sizes were sent down the runway in styles hotter than Kendall in August, from bright colored string bikinis to shimmery, bare-all maillots and cute mini dresses with spaghetti straps. The star of the evening eventually showed to cheers, rocking a Space Age silver two piece suit, accessorized by skyscraper heels and a giant, untamed wig. 'Thank you to my team for making my first runway show be so special and amazing!' the Houston rapper wrote on an Instagram carousel of fabulousness. 'Thank you to all my beautiful models for showcasing my collection so beautifully with lots of positive energy. I can't wait to keep growing in this space I'm so excited for what's to come!' You can shop 'thee' affordable collection at where skimpy halter tops start at just $18. (Pro tip, ladies, don't delay: The summer solstice falls on June 20 this year.)
Press and Journal
a day ago
- Business
- Press and Journal
Alan Savage on 'innovative' Caley Thistle recruitment plans - including approach to Brighton chief Tony Bloom
Caley Thistle owner-in-waiting Alan Savage plans to forge a link with Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion as just one of several 'innovative' plans for the Highlanders. The former ICT chairman should find out after next Thursday's company voluntary arrangement (CVA) meeting whether his £800,000 offer for the administration-hit League One club has formally been accepted. The summit should draw a line under Inverness' stay in administration, and boss Scott Kellacher can then make signing moves for players – something they're not permitted to do at present. New contracts have already been agreed with existing players Billy Mckay, Danny Devine and Luis Longstaff, plus a host of pros aged 21 or under, while midfielder Adam Mackinnon is also under contract for next season. Having survived in League One during the 2024/25, despite an administration-induced points penalty, the 2015 Scottish Cup winners, hope to make it back up to the Championship in the new season, with financial issues behind them. Savage has a network of people working to attract talent to the Caledonian Stadium this summer. Producing local talent through the club's academy is also a priority, but Savage revealed how he is already using contacts to lure players north – and how he will lead the charge by contacting Brighton and Hove Albion's majority owner and chairman, Tony Bloom to try to forge a link. Bloom – who is set to take up a 29% stake in Premiership Hearts to the tune of a £10million investment – runs the company Jamestown Analytics for recruitment. Savage said: 'There will be a balance between the youth players and those who come in, but in the right proportions – we want to be a Scottish football club. 'Steve Paterson (former ICT manager) has got a contact in Manchester and his job is to find players who have maybe not made it at Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Everton and Bolton, for example, and find them a place in football – he might well be able to get us a couple of good players. 'One of my ambitions is for this area to be the Brighton of the north. I'm going to even write to Tony Bloom to try to see whether we can create a relationship with them. 'Clearly, they can find great players. 'I want the people who work for the club and all the fans and players to just stick to football and the basics, respect one another, and work hard to improve the club. 'We have enough contacts between Charlie Christie (interim CEO), Scott Kellacher, Steve 'Pele' Paterson, and (former director and ex-vice chairman) Graeme Bennett. 'They all want to be innovative, and we will take some risks in what we're doing, but if we take players in from different clubs, we will look after them.' Off the field, plenty of work is ongoing to try to bring in cash now and for years to come. Speaking at the latest Football Memories meeting, run by the ICT Community Trust, Savage highlighted several advanced plans to make the Caledonian Stadium more than just a venue for matchdays. He said: '(Costumes for the) Nessie and Nessa mascots are being made in Manchester. 'I'm also wanting to put a conservatory on the front of the stadium, so we can have a cafeteria. 'I'm also looking to see whether we could even start the North Coast 500 (516-mile road trip around the west Highlands) from here. 'New dugouts have been installed, and there's a new singing section in place. 'A lot of painting has taken place, and some new seating installed. 'It doesn't cost a lot of money, but it is us saying to fans that we appreciate their support and we want them to come back regularly. 'We're working closely with the ICT Supporters' Trust and we'll make sure fans are looked after here. 'On Sunday mornings, for example, we'd have the cafeteria open, and this area will become a focal point. 'We're thinking about building a stage at the back of the North Stand, so this could be like the (former) Ironworks (music) venue in the summer. 'There is no reason why it can't be the centre of the community. 'A lot of businesses have done well in Inverness, besides (Savage's own) Orion Group, and we want to welcome them to the party and ask them to put a few quid in. 'We have a lot of things going on here, which we hope can spin into income. 'It's just about reminding people in Inverness they don't need to support Aberdeen, Ross County, Celtic or Rangers – why not support your own club here? 'I think we can attract more fans, especially when you consider the way we played football here last season. 'Opposition clubs often told us we were the best League One club they played against.' Savage, detailed how the club have also spent money to ensure injured players have been taken care of. This is in sharp contrast to the treatment of former player Aaron Doran last summer, who had to rely on the efforts of fundraising friend Shane Sutherland for helping put money toward much-needed surgery. Savage said: 'This year, we've spent around £30,000 on getting injured players treatment. 'They've not been left like Aaron Doran was. 'We're going to treat people better, stick to the basics, and demonstrate it's a good experience here.' Savage hopes to be confirmed as the owner of ICT imminently and he underlined why he wants 100% ownership in a bid to take the club forward. He added: 'I've had some criticisms from some people, saying I'd be like a baron running the club – but the idea is that I want clarity, governance, and with no distractions. 'If it goes right, it will be my responsibility. And if it goes wrong, it will be my responsibility. I don't mind that. 'I don't like working with committees. 'I asked three other people to put 25% each in and they didn't, so I'm in the position where I'm funding (the club) 100%. 'Therefore, I can't be criticised for running the club in my own way.' Savage also confirmed the club will have new kits delivered and ready for the new season.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
aespa's agency issues clarification, apologises after Karina shares, then deletes post
The agency of Karina, a member of the K-pop group aespa, has issued a clarification after she posted and deleted several of her photos on Instagram. As per Soompi, on Tuesday, Karina posted her pictures, wearing a jacket with red accents and the number 'two' written on it. She posted it on the platform along with a red rose emoji. (Also Read | aespa's Karina and Lee Jae Wook have broken up because of 'mental strain': Agency confirms) A section of people on social media platforms questioned whether she was supporting a South Korean political party ahead of the upcoming presidential election. On Wednesday, SM Entertainment issued a statement saying that Karina simply posted the photos with "absolutely no other intention or purpose." The agency also apologised for causing any distress to its fans. The statement read, as reported by Soompi, "This is SM Entertainment. We apologise for causing concern due to our artist Karina's recent post. Karina simply shared something from her daily life on social media, with absolutely no other intention or purpose. Once she realised that the post could be misunderstood, she immediately deleted it. We sincerely apologise for any distress this may have caused unintentionally." SM Entertainment added that it will make sure that any misunderstanding in the future are avoided. "Our agency will also be more careful and make greater efforts to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. We hope that our artist's intentions will no longer be misrepresented or consumed with a particular agenda, and we will do our utmost to protect Karina and all of our artists. Thank you," concluded the statement. aespa, comprising Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning, debuted in 2020 with the single Black Mamba. Their third single, Next Level, was released in May 2021. The same year, aespa released their first extended play (EP), Savage. In 2022, aespa released their second EP Girls. Their third EP, My World, released in 2023. The group released their first studio album, Armageddon, in 2024.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AI-scaled startups are poised to disrupt venture capital—but VCs say don't count them out just yet
Venture capital is about disrupting established business models, but lately it is VCs themselves who are facing disruption. The reason is AI, which is driving down the time and cost to build a startup, and has led some to predict a major shakeout is coming for venture capital firms. Ten years ago, entrepreneurs looking to build a dating app would have needed millions of dollars, and years of development before they could launch the business, said Sam Tidswell-Norrish, a senior founding member of Motive Partners, who left the private equity firm in December. He says that, today, those same founders can get on a Zoom call with their team and build the app out by the end of the day. 'Capital intensive businesses don't exist anymore,' said Tidswell-Norrish, who has launched OPUS, a professional community platform. Ben Savage, a partner at Clocktower Ventures, agrees AI is changing the VC industry. 'Companies are getting to scale in product and revenue with much smaller headcounts than we've seen before,' Savage said. 'For sure, there's going to be more efficient companies built.' Jay Reinemann, general partner of Propel Venture Partners, agrees that AI will make building a startup more efficient, although he thinks building an app in 'less than a day' is an overstatement, and might only be true for very simple business models. 'We see AI-powered seed stage founders building faster and getting to product market fit quicker,' Reinemann said. This AI-induced efficiency means companies will no longer need to raise multiple rounds of capital, said Tidswell-Norrish of OPUS. Instead, over the next five years, founders will likely collect enough capital in one round and then achieve profitability, he said. This means VCs will end up competing with each other for fewer allocations and will have to go downstream to find companies, Tidswell-Norrish said. 'Getting to the companies earlier will be more important. VCs will have to start playing in the pre-seed and seed space,' he said. These changes are poised to make the venture capital world more competitive but, in a twist of the old Mark Twain quote, reports of venture capital's death may be greatly exaggerated. Clocktower's Savage, for instance, thinks AI will likely spur more ideas that cause founders to create more startups and possibly reinvent more segments of the economy. These businesses will need more capital, which will come from VCs, Savage said. 'Venture capital is the rocket fuel for innovation,' Savage said. 'The U.S. tech industry, funded by venture capital, is the greatest source of innovation in human history.' Matt Harris, a partner with Bain Capital Ventures, also doesn't think the AI revolution will lead to fewer VC allocations. He pointed to the huge fundraising rounds of AI companies, which are now a majority of the venture asset class. In April, OpenAI raised $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation, while Anthropic the month before collected $3.5 billion at a $61.5 billion valuation. 'The trend is in the other direction,' Harris said. Predictions of venture's demise due to AI are 'nonsense,' Harris said. He saw a similar trend occur over a decade ago when the advent of cloud computing and SaaS helped founders develop companies more cheaply and easily. Some believed this would hurt VCs. 'Instead, it led to the SaaS boom,' Harris said. More than 9,000 SaaS companies were started between 2010 and 2017, considered the core Saas boom years, according to Exploding Topics. AI should make it easier for founders to build and copy products, which will lead to lots of competition because 'tons of companies will be doing the same thing,' said Peter Walker, head of insights at equity management platform Carta. Startups will need capital to spend on distribution, including marketing and advertising so they can stand out, Walker said. 'We don't hear from too many VCs worrying that AI will ruin venture capital,' he said. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Epoch Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
Aussies Warned Electricity Prices Could Increase: NSW Bills Set to Rise About 9 Percent
Residents and business owners are being warned to expect electricity prices across three states amid the Labor government's push for more renewable energy. On May 26, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released the 2025-26 Default Market Offer (DMO) for energy prices for New South Wales (NSW), South East Queensland, and South Australia. The DMO is the maximum price that retailers can charge electricity customers on contracts, and serves as a benchmark for comparing market offers. Under the new DMO prices ( For example, a resident customer who uses around 3,900 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year in Ausgrid's distribution network will need to pay $1,965 (US$1282) from July 1, 2025, up from $1,810 previously–an 8.5 percent rise. Meanwhile, the price hikes in the two other regions are smaller, with residents and businesses being warned of increases between 3.7 percent and 0.8 percent in SE Queensland, and 3.2 percent and 3.5 percent in South Australia, respectively. Related Stories 5/25/2025 5/21/2025 AER Chair Clare Savage said it was a difficult decision for the agency to raise the DMO prices amid the current cost of living crisis. 'We know this is not welcome news for consumers in the current cost-of-living environment,' 'As noted in our draft determination, sustained pressures across almost all components of the DMO have driven these price rises.' The new DMO price increases come as the Labor has introduced some measures to reduce the cost of living burden for Australians, including a $150 What is Causing Price Increases? According to the AER, the latest price increases have been driven by the sharp rise in retail and network costs. While retail costs make up a relatively small portion of the DMO, they recorded the largest increase among all cost components—rising 35.4 percent, compared to 8.3 percent in the previous period. The AER report said this increase was due to growing costs reported by retailers, including bad and doubtful debts, the implementation of smart meters, and the cost of acquiring and retaining customers. Regarding network costs, the AER cited market factors such as higher inflation and interest rates that are compelling operators to charge higher fees. Other contributing factors include spending to improve network resilience to address climate change-related risks, integration of consumer energy resources (including rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles), and cyber security. High voltage electricity transmission towers in Newcastle, Australia, on April 14, the significant increase in DMO prices, Savage told consumers that they were unlikely to pay that much. 'While the DMO protects consumers on standing offers that can't or don't engage in the market, as of this month, 90 percent to 95 percent of competitive market offers are below the current DMO price,' she said. 'On average, the lowest offers across DMO regions are between 18 percent and 27 percent cheaper.' The AER chair also advised consumers to actively look for better deals and contact their suppliers if they have difficulties. 'I strongly encourage all consumers to avoid staying on an old or uncompetitive plan. Contact your retailer to see if you can get a better offer or shop around. At least every 100 days, your retailer must tell you on the front page of your bill if they can offer you a better deal,' she said. 'You can also compare available plans in the market by visiting our free and independent website–Energy Made Easy– Energy Minister Calls for More Renewables While Energy Minister Chris Bowen acknowledged the increases, he noted that it was 'encouraging news' as the price hike was not as high as previously anticipated in March. The minister also said it was the reason why the Labor government decided to extend the recent energy bill relief for a further six months. 'It's clear energy bills for Australians remain too high, and we're providing help for people doing it tough as we deliver longer-term reform,' In a statement on May 13, Bowen said that more renewable energy projects were needed to ensure 'cheaper energy' could flow into the grid and help lower electricity bills. 'The Albanese government's plan is the only one which is providing bill relief now and supported by experts to deliver a clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy system into the future,' Minister for Climate Change Chris Bowen speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on March 19, 2024. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas Labor's Energy Policies Have Failed: Opposition Meanwhile, opposition Liberal energy spokesperson, Ted O'Brien, said the latest DMO figures confirmed what Australians already knew–Labor's energy policies were struggling. He also stated that Australian families and businesses were being 'crushed' by the policy. 'Three years ago, [Prime Minister] Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen promised cheaper power bills,' 'Instead, they've delivered among some of the highest electricity prices in the world. 'Everywhere you look, Labor's policies are failing. Labor is struggling to keep the lights, can't get offshore wind projects off the ground, gas supply is on a knife edge, and they can't even deliver own their reckless emissions targets.'
