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Toujours mieux que la campagne de Bud Light ! Une publicité réaliste générée par l’IA pour une bière fictive devient virale

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Une nouvelle publicité sur la bière américaine peut sembler un cauchemar, mais certains disent que c’est toujours mieux que la dernière campagne de Bud Light.

Une entreprise basée à Londres a demandé à AI de générer une publicité basée sur ce qui est vu dans une publicité de bière américaine typique – et le public la qualifie de “fantastiquement horrible”.

Le clip, surnommé «Synthetic Summer», est basé sur une fête dans la cour où les gens apprécient les bières de canettes et de bouteilles étiquetées bleues, mais regardez de plus près et vous pouvez voir les marques du logiciel.

Les personnes numériques ont des bouches géantes avec trop de dents, des mains extraterrestres avec plus de cinq doigts et des bras qui s’agitent, tandis que la langue des autres s’agite autour du bord des tasses.

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Une entreprise a demandé à AI de créer une publicité pour la bière à l'aide d'invites textuelles

Une entreprise a demandé à AI de créer une publicité pour la bière à l'aide d'invites textuelles

Une entreprise a demandé à AI de créer une publicité pour la bière à l’aide d’invites textuelles

Synthetic Summer a été créé par Private Island, basé à Londres, qui a déclaré que l’équipe avait passé 12 mois à réaliser le clip.

Le directeur et co-fondateur Chris Boyle a déclaré à Stash Media que Private Island a utilisé Stable Diffusion, Control Net et Runway Gen 2 pour créer la publicité effrayante.

“Nous créons une série d’expériences internes qui nous aident à comprendre comment ces outils peuvent être utilisés en production”, a déclaré Boyle.

“La plupart de notre travail combine l’action en direct et l’animation, donc ce genre de choses semble être une évolution naturelle.”

La publicité américaine sur la bière commence par une photo d’une arrière-cour remplie de gens en train de faire la fête.

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La chanson à succès de 1999 « All Star » de Smashmouth joue en arrière-plan pendant que vous entendez les participants parler et rire en sirotant des bouteilles et des canettes étiquetées bleues.

Cependant, certains des invités sont vus en train de boire au fond des bières ou de faire bruire leur langue sur les bords extérieurs des verres – sans jamais prendre une gorgée.

L’IA capture l’essence d’une publicité sur la bière, montrant les flammes du barbecue montant et explosant tout au long de la fête et les invités agissant comme si de rien n’était.

Chris Catchpole a partagé ses réflexions sur la vidéo sur LinkedIn : « Ironique, c’est un cola « bleu » car c’est si proche de la vérité avec ces clients.

Le logiciel a généré une arrière-cour remplie de gens qui parlaient, riaient et buvaient de la bière

Le logiciel a généré une arrière-cour remplie de gens qui parlaient, riaient et buvaient de la bière

Le logiciel a généré une arrière-cour remplie de gens qui parlaient, riaient et buvaient de la bière

Cependant, l'IA a produit des clips cauchemardesques

Cependant, l'IA a produit des clips cauchemardesques

Cependant, l’IA a produit des clips cauchemardesques

Certaines personnes ne boivent même pas de bière - leurs langues tournent autour du bord des verres

Certaines personnes ne boivent même pas de bière - leurs langues tournent autour du bord des verres

Certaines personnes ne boivent même pas de bière – leurs langues tournent autour du bord des verres

‘Je m’attendais presque à ce que leur vrai logo apparaisse à la fin !

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‘Chaque case est cochée sauf celle qui dit: ‘Est-ce que quelqu’un voudrait le revoir?’

‘Pour un pur freak show, c’est génial. Ai s’améliore de façon exponentielle chaque jour.

L’étiquette bleue emblématique fait probablement référence à Bug Light, qui a perdu des milliards de dollars depuis son partenariat avec l’influenceur transgenre Dylan Mulvaney.

Un utilisateur de TikTok a même déclaré que la publicité devrait être diffusée au Super Bowl sans aucune explication pour voir si les téléspectateurs remarquent la différence.

Tandis qu’un autre partageait : “Je ne veux pas que l’IA s’améliore”. Je veux que ça reste comme ça pour toujours.

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Un utilisateur de Twitter, en janvier, a mené une expérience similaire avec l’IA, mais a généré des images à l’aide de Midjourney qui ressemblent à des photos prises lors d’une fête.

Les images générées de femmes souriant à la caméra et d’hommes levant leurs tasses pour porter un toast.

Les gens l'appellent «fantastiquement horrible» alors que le clip fait mouche sur ce à quoi ressemblerait une publicité pour la bière américaine – même si cela prend une tournure ardente à la fin

Les gens l'appellent «fantastiquement horrible» alors que le clip fait mouche sur ce à quoi ressemblerait une publicité pour la bière américaine – même si cela prend une tournure ardente à la fin

Les gens l’appellent «fantastiquement horrible» alors que le clip fait mouche sur ce à quoi ressemblerait une publicité pour la bière américaine – même si cela prend une tournure ardente à la fin

Les personnes numériques ont des bouches géantes avec trop de dents, des mains extraterrestres avec plus de cinq doigts et des bras agités

Les personnes numériques ont des bouches géantes avec trop de dents, des mains extraterrestres avec plus de cinq doigts et des bras agités

Les personnes numériques ont des bouches géantes avec trop de dents, des mains extraterrestres avec plus de cinq doigts et des bras agités

Les images semblent être des photos franches d’amis lors d’une fête, mais un examen plus approfondi peut vous donner des cauchemars.

Les «gens» sourient avec la bouche pleine de dents, les mains poussent sur les hanches et les tatouages ​​ressemblent à de la moisissure sur leur peau.

Cependant, la quantité excessive de doigts a captivé Internet, avec un utilisateur disant qu’ils ressemblent à “un nid d’appendices extraterrestres qui poussent pour dévorer leur hôte”.

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Midjourney est un programme d’IA qui crée des images à partir de descriptions textuelles.

Cela signifie que les utilisateurs tapent des mots-clés de ce qu’ils veulent faire, et l’IA génère les photos en fonction du thème.

Miles a partagé un fil avec les images du parti AI, le premier groupe ne montrant que des femmes.

Un utilisateur de Twitter, en janvier, a mené une expérience similaire avec l'IA, mais a généré des images à l'aide de Midjourney qui ressemblent à des photos prises lors d'une fête.  Mais le trop de doigts est un cadeau mort L'IA a créé les images

Un utilisateur de Twitter, en janvier, a mené une expérience similaire avec l'IA, mais a généré des images à l'aide de Midjourney qui ressemblent à des photos prises lors d'une fête.  Mais le trop de doigts est un cadeau mort L'IA a créé les images

Un utilisateur de Twitter, en janvier, a mené une expérience similaire avec l’IA, mais a généré des images à l’aide de Midjourney qui ressemblent à des photos prises lors d’une fête. Mais le trop de doigts est un cadeau mort L’IA a créé les images

Deux des photos suggèrent que les femmes prennent des photos en se regardant dans le miroir – l’une d’elles tient ce qui semble être un appareil photo.

Et les deux autres clichés montrent des photos franches de trois amis souriants et impatients.

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Les “images miroir” sont un cadeau mort que l’IA a créé les images parce que les “personnes” tenant l’appareil photo ont plus que les cinq doigts standard sur leur main.

En plus de trop de doigts, les femmes ont aussi trop de dents.

Les photographies suivantes montrent des hommes, qui auraient pu être prises lors d’une fête à la maison le week-end.

Un groupe de trois lèvent leurs tasses sous les acclamations, mais ils ont non seulement un nombre excessif de doigts, mais l’un d’eux a une main qui sort de son bras.

Et tandis que de nombreux utilisateurs se moquent de l’erreur, Miles a découvert que l’IA pouvait être biaisée lors de la création de “personnes”.

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“Je devais être précis afin d’obtenir des personnes IA d’apparence masculine – et même dans ce cas, la variation est un défi. C’est définitivement par défaut les Blancs quand vous demandez des “personnes”, a tweeté Miles.

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International

Horror bus crash leaves 45 dead with girl, eight, as the sole survivor after South African coach plunged off a bridge into a ravine before bursting into flames

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  • The bus driver lost control and collided with the bridge barriers, authorities said 

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A horror bus crash in South Africa has left 45 dead and only one survivor, an eight-year-old girl, who is being treated in hospital.

South Africa’s Department of Transport said that the driver lost control and collided with barriers on a bridge near Mamatlakala in the northeast province of Limpopo.

The bus then plunged over the bridge onto a rocky surface some 50 metres below before catching fire, according to reports.

The passenger bus was transporting pilgrims from Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, to Moria, a town in Limpopo, for an Easter weekend church service.

Rescue operations continued late into this evening, as some bodies were burned beyond recognition, others trapped inside the debris and scattered on the scene, Limpopo’s Department of Transport said.

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Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash on the R518 in the Waterberg district in Limpopo

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash on the R518 in the Waterberg district in Limpopo

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash on the R518 in the Waterberg district in Limpopo

Pictures show the wreckage of the bus in flames after it plunged off the bridge

Pictures show the wreckage of the bus in flames after it plunged off the bridge

Pictures show the wreckage of the bus in flames after it plunged off the bridge

Black smoke engulfed the passenger bus and firefighters were pictured at the scene

Black smoke engulfed the passenger bus and firefighters were pictured at the scene

Black smoke engulfed the passenger bus and firefighters were pictured at the scene

A view of the bridge, known as the Mamatlakala Pass, located in the northeast province of Limpopo

A view of the bridge, known as the Mamatlakala Pass, located in the northeast province of Limpopo

A view of the bridge, known as the Mamatlakala Pass, located in the northeast province of Limpopo

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who visited the crash site, sent her condolences to the bereaved families and the Botswana government.

‘I am sending my heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus crash, near Mamatlakala. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. With heightened alertness, we continue to urge responsible driving at all times as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend,’ Chikunga said.

The minister added that the cause of the crash is under investigation. 

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France seeks help from allies to bolster security during Paris Olympics

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France has asked its foreign allies to send several thousand members of their security forces to help guard the Paris Olympics, officials said Thursday, underlining the strains caused by the sporting extravaganza which begins in July.

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“Several foreign nations are going to reinforce us in certain critical areas, such as dog-handling capabilities where the needs are enormous,” an official at the defence ministry told AFP on condition of anonymity.

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The official did not say how many foreign soldiers would be on French soil, but Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed his country was joining “an international coalition established by France” for the Olympics.

An official in the French interior ministry said separately that Paris had asked 46 allies to send 2,185 police reinforcements.

Both officials played down the significance of the requests for foreign assistance.

“It’s a classic move for host countries ahead of the organisation of major events,” the interior ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

For the rugby World Cup in France last year, European allies sent 160 police officers to help with security, the official added, with some of them visible to fans as they patrolled the streets.

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Securing the Paris Olympics is stretching France’s domestic forces, however, with an attack last Friday on a concert hall in Moscow, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, underlining the stakes.


“The terrorist threat is real, it’s strong,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told reporters on Monday, adding that two plots by suspected Islamic extremists had been thwarted already this year.

Up to 45,000 French police and gendarmes are set to be deployed each day during the Olympics, while 18,000 troops are also expected to be mobilised, according to government figures.

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Another 18,000-22,000 private security guards will be on the ground for the Games, which run from July 26-August 11.

The request for foreign help was “for the spectators’ experience, to respond to the capacity challenge of the Games and to reinforce international cooperation,” the French interior ministry official said.

Germany said in March that it would send an unspecified number of police to France for the Olympics, while French forces are set to travel to Germany when it holds the Euro 2024 football tournament in June and July.

Unprecedented opening ceremony

The Olympics have been attacked in the past – most infamously in 1972 in Munich and again in 1996 in Atlanta – with the thousands of athletes, huge crowds and live global television audience making it a target.

French organisers have faced persistent questioning over their decision to hold the opening ceremony outside of the athletics stadium for the first time.

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Athletes are instead set to sail down the river Seine in a flotilla of boats in a made-for-TV extravaganza. The choice has been resisted by some security officials because of the challenges for police.

The crowd size for the ceremony has been significantly reduced, but 326,000 are set to attend with tickets while hundreds of thousands more are expected on the streets or watching from windows overlooking the waterway.

French security forces are screening up to a million people before the Games, including athletes and people living close to key infrastructure, according to the interior ministry.

France was placed on its highest terror alert on Sunday following the attack in Moscow.

(AFP)

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Indian police spot glowing UFOs zig-zagging over nuclear power plant – mirroring reports of craft at sensitive bases in US

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India’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has become a UFO hotspot after a police officer reported seeing odd aerial lights above it more than 10 times last summer.

Indian Police Service investigator Syed Abdul Kader shared two videos exclusively with DailyMail.com, which track the bright lights making ‘zigzags’ above the facility.

Fearing the craft was not manmade, Kader turned to his nation’s leading UFO expert, who in 2019 filed a petition to the Supreme Court of India with the backing of former Pentagon officials and US Air Force vets — urging the south Asian nation to take all the unexplained sightings near its nuclear facilities more seriously. 

Kader’s UFO encounters add international heft to domestic national security concerns within the US, following detailed Pentagon and civilian research into an eerie correlation between UFO sightings and America’s tightly held nuclear arsenal.

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While the shape, size and speed of Kader’s mystery objects are difficult to discern, his footage shows them making unusual movements at the altitude of an airplane.

‘It’s shaking when it’s moving! It’s going up and down,’ the confused cop narrates in one video, watching the UFO’s bizarre and apparently non-aerodynamic maneuvers.

‘The way it’s moving,’ he opines in the video, ‘this could never be an airplane.’

India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has become a UFO hotspot after a police officer reported seeing odd aerial lights above it more than 10 times last summer

India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has become a UFO hotspot after a police officer reported seeing odd aerial lights above it more than 10 times last summer

India’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has become a UFO hotspot after a police officer reported seeing odd aerial lights above it more than 10 times last summer 

Roughly a dozen or so incidents last summer all involved apparent airborne craft loitering near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (pictured above) at the southern tip of the subcontinent - as well as the Madras Atomic Power Station near Kalpakkam, along the country's east coast

Roughly a dozen or so incidents last summer all involved apparent airborne craft loitering near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (pictured above) at the southern tip of the subcontinent - as well as the Madras Atomic Power Station near Kalpakkam, along the country's east coast

Roughly a dozen or so incidents last summer all involved apparent airborne craft loitering near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (pictured above) at the southern tip of the subcontinent – as well as the Madras Atomic Power Station near Kalpakkam, along the country’s east coast

‘It’s in a southern direction,’ Kader told his wife during the August 8th sighting.

‘It’s standing [or hovering] in the direction of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant.’

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‘It is always coming in at this time, when it is not too dark, nor too bright,’ Kader’s wife can be heard saying. ‘I’ve seen this many times.’

While it is difficult for an outside observer to discern if the UFO is moving, or if Kader’s camera is unsteady, DailyMail.com can report that some common prosaic explanations can likely be ruled out.

Such sightings have turned out to be distant planets, like Venus that is the third brightest object in the sky, after the sun and moon.

And the bright ‘dog star,’ Sirius, as well as the planets Jupiter and Mercury have also been occasionally misreported as UFOs.

However, in Kader’s August 8 video, filmed at dusk (7:30PM local time), the eastern direction of the UFO at sunset refutes the notion that a common bright planet or star could explain the mystery’s eerie aerial glow.

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While the shape, size and speed of Kader's mystery objects are difficult to discern, his footage shows them making unusual movements at the altitude of an airplane

While the shape, size and speed of Kader's mystery objects are difficult to discern, his footage shows them making unusual movements at the altitude of an airplane

While the shape, size and speed of Kader’s mystery objects are difficult to discern, his footage shows them making unusual movements at the altitude of an airplane 

Syed Abdul Kader shared two of the videos exclusively with DailyMail.com, which show bright lights whizzing up and down above the facility

Syed Abdul Kader shared two of the videos exclusively with DailyMail.com, which show bright lights whizzing up and down above the facility

Syed Abdul Kader shared two of the videos exclusively with DailyMail.com, which show bright lights whizzing up and down above the facility

Police sub-inspector Syed Abdul Kader (right), assigned to the technical wing of the Tirunelveli office - one hour's drive north of the Kudankulam nuclear plant - told UFO expert Sabir Hussain (left) that he filmed two videos of these unusual aerial phenomena or UAP

Police sub-inspector Syed Abdul Kader (right), assigned to the technical wing of the Tirunelveli office - one hour's drive north of the Kudankulam nuclear plant - told UFO expert Sabir Hussain (left) that he filmed two videos of these unusual aerial phenomena or UAP

Police sub-inspector Syed Abdul Kader (right), assigned to the technical wing of the Tirunelveli office – one hour’s drive north of the Kudankulam nuclear plant – told UFO expert Sabir Hussain (left) that he filmed two videos of these unusual aerial phenomena or UAP

A sky map for that night and time, geolocated to the Kaders’ hometown of Tirunelveli via TheSkyLive.com shows that Venus was completely obscured, below the western horizon and below the sunset. 

Most other bright stars and planets were also not in the eastern sky at that moment. 

At another point in the video, Kader’s wife exclaims, ‘It’s so close. How come no one else is seeing this?’

To which Kader replies, ‘No, that’s why the DGP [Director General of Police] he, himself, has seen it [the UFOs]. And that’s why everybody’s talking about this.’

In fact, the Kaders’ sightings to the south overlapped with weeks of others in July and August up India’s east coast along the Neelankarai-Mahabalipuram shoreline.

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That region, near the bustling city of Chennai, is home to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam.

Kader’s mysterious UFO videos were first secured by one of India’s foremost UFO investigators, Sabir Hussain, director of the Indian Society for UFO Studies (INSUFOS) based in Chennai.

It was Hussain who petitioned the Supreme Court of India in 2019 warning that casually dismissing reports of UFO activity near the nation’s sensitive atomic power sites could risks an unintentional nuclear war between India and its uneasy neighbor Pakistan.

His efforts came with letters endorsing his petition, by former US counterintelligence official and Pentagon UFO investigator Lue Elizondo, US Air Force veteran Robert Salas, and other UFO experts from America and Europe. 

‘Syed came to my house,’ Hussain told DailyMail.com. ‘I debriefed him.’

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‘He told me that most of the time, [the UFO] was either coming from the direction of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, going towards it, or stationary in that direction.’

Officer Kader, Hussain told DailyMail.com, also stated that the UFOs were sometimes spotted hovering above the nearby Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Propulsion Complex.

Nestled alongside the mountainous Mahendragiri hill in the state of Tamil Nadu, the ISRO Propulsion Complex tests cryogenically stored rocket fuel among its other space program duties.

The ISRO facility is also approximately one hour’s drive south of the Kaders’ home, which is in the city of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.  

A vocal advocate on the UFO issue, Hussain once voiced his suspicion that alleged alien occupants of such craft cut communications between ISRO and its Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander in 2019 — for the south Asian nation’s own good. 

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‘The extra-terrestrials have sent a message to the Indian government to get rid of your nukes before you explore other worlds,’ Hussain told the Deccan Chronicle.

‘You will not be allowed to land on the moon unless “they” decide to allow you.’

The fate of ISRO’s Vikram lander aside, Hussain’s new UFO witnesses, sub-inspector Kader and his wife, can at least be heard in their videos discussing the mysterious aerial phenomena’s consistent apparent interest in the Kudankulam nuclear plant.

Kader’s video-taped sightings, as Hussain told DT Next, ‘happened just 10 days after former DGP [Director General of Police] Prateep V. Philip took pictures of a UFO on [the] Muttukadu sea shore near Chennai.’

Philip’s rank of DGP is the highest position attainable in the Indian Police Service.

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A sky map for that night and time (above), geolocated to the Kaders' hometown of Tirunelveli via TheSkyLive.com, shows Venus was completely obscured, below the western horizon and sunset. Most other bright stars and planets were also not in the eastern sky at that moment

A sky map for that night and time (above), geolocated to the Kaders' hometown of Tirunelveli via TheSkyLive.com, shows Venus was completely obscured, below the western horizon and sunset. Most other bright stars and planets were also not in the eastern sky at that moment

A sky map for that night and time (above), geolocated to the Kaders’ hometown of Tirunelveli via TheSkyLive.com, shows Venus was completely obscured, below the western horizon and sunset. Most other bright stars and planets were also not in the eastern sky at that moment 

The Kaders' sightings to the south overlapped with weeks of sightings in July and August up the eastern coast, along the Neelankarai-Mahabalipuram shoreline. That region, near the city of Chennai, is home to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam (above)

The Kaders' sightings to the south overlapped with weeks of sightings in July and August up the eastern coast, along the Neelankarai-Mahabalipuram shoreline. That region, near the city of Chennai, is home to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam (above)

The Kaders’ sightings to the south overlapped with weeks of sightings in July and August up the eastern coast, along the Neelankarai-Mahabalipuram shoreline. That region, near the city of Chennai, is home to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam (above)

Hypothetical extraterrestrial interest in the Kudankulam nuclear plant, if correct, would join decades of active protests against the plant by concerned local civilians.

Thousands of local residents faced teargas shelling, imprisonment and prosecution under both terrorism and sedition charges by local police for speaking out against the nuclear energy plant. Even children with the protestors faced sedition charges.

In September of 2019 the Kudankulam nuclear plant was discovered to be infected with malware, which one cyber security analyst with CSO attributed to ‘a false flag operation using stolen North Korean code to muddle attribution.’ 

Hussain told DailyMail.com that the plant has faced corruption charges and safety concerns since before it first became operational a decade ago.

‘Kudankulam, which is a focus of our attention,’ Hussain said, ‘came online only in 2013 after Fukushima disaster happened.’

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‘Ever since it came online, it has been shutting down once every two months,’ he added. ‘They are working only to 30 percent of their capacity. So you do the math.’

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Indian government’s Nuclear Power Corporation of India, Ltd., which runs the plant, for comment. 

US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas (pictured above) told of his encounter with an orange flying disc that turned off 10 warheads at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967

US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas (pictured above) told of his encounter with an orange flying disc that turned off 10 warheads at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967
Robert Salas as a young airman

Robert Salas as a young airman

US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas (pictured left, and as a young man, right) told of his encounter with an orange flying disc that turned off 10 warheads at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967  

An email shows AARO staff contacted former US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas to gather information about his encounter. He tweeted his thank you email from AARO 

This time last year, two Air Force veterans revealed to DailyMail.com’s Josh Boswell that they had just testified to the Pentagon’s UFO-hunting All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) about their experiences witnessing UFOs interfere with US nuclear missiles.

One email showed AARO staff contacting former US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas to gather information about his chilling encounter with an orange flying disc that inexplicably turned off 10 warheads at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967.

Another former officer, Dr. Robert Jacobs, also briefed AARO, testifying to a 35mm film he shot for the Air Force in 1964, which allegedly caught a flying saucer shooting a test missile out of the sky.

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Although Salas described those early interactions with AARO officials as ‘very magnanimous,’ this month the disappointed Air Force veteran described the Pentagon office’s most recent UFO report as ‘a ‘Steaming pile of …’ 

‘I gave AARO a two hour PowerPoint presentation on the Malmstrom AFB incidents where twenty ICBMs were disabled during UFO encounters,’ Salas said on the social media site X, speaking to incidents at the base beyond 1967. 

‘The USGOV owes us, the informed public, much more respect on this subject,’ he concluded, ‘than offered by AARO’s steaming pile of insults.’ 

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Russia links Moscow attack to ‘Ukrainian nationalists’; US rubbishes claim

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Russia said Thursday it had evidence the perpetrators of last week’s massacre at a concert hall outside Moscow were linked to “Ukrainian nationalists”, a claim that the United States called nonsense.

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President Vladimir Putin and his security services continue to allege Kyiv and the West were involved somehow in last Friday’s attack, despite an Islamic State (IS) group affiliate having claimed responsibility.

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Putin said Saturday that 11 people had been detained after gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall, setting the building alight and killing at least 143 people.

“As a result of work with the detained terrorists, examination of the technical devices seized from them and analysis of information on financial transactions, evidence of their links with Ukrainian nationalists has been obtained,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Thursday.

It alleged the suspects had received “significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine” and said another man “involved in financing the terrorists” had been identified and detained.

“Investigators will ask the court to remand him in custody,” it said.

Ukraine and its Western allies have branded as absurd accusations they were involved.

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“My uncle used to say … that the best manure salesmen often carry their samples in their mouths,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday.

“Russian officials seem to be pretty good manure salesmen,” Kirby said, denouncing what he called Russia’s “nonsense propaganda.”

‘Completely inappropriate’

The four suspected assailants – with bruises and cuts on their swollen faces – were dragged into a Moscow courtroom Sunday, all of whom were from Tajikistan, Russian media reported.

Russia’s FSB security service said it arrested the gunmen while they were trying to flee to Ukraine, a claim seemingly disputed by Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko, who said they were headed for his country first.

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Islamic State (IS) jihadists have said several times since Friday that they were responsible, and IS-affiliated media channels have published graphic videos of the gunmen inside the venue.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave no indication on Thursday that Putin planned to visit the family members of those killed.

The Russian leader was seen lighting a candle for the victims at a Moscow church last week, but has not visited the scene of the massacre or publicly met with any victims.

“If any contacts are necessary, we will inform you accordingly,” Peskov said, when asked if Putin planned to meet family members of the dead.

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He also said Putin did not plan to visit Crocus City Hall, where rescuers had for the past week been searching the rubble for bodies.

“In these days it would be completely inappropriate to carry out any fact-finding trips, because this would simply interfere with the work,” he said.

(AFP)

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Insurance market Lloyd’s of London toasts best result ‘in recent history’ with £10.7bn profit

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  • The world’s biggest insurance marketplace rebounded to a £10.7bn profit
  • In the group’s underwriting arm, its profits swelled from £2.6bn to £5.9bn 

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Lloyd’s of London has achieved its strongest annual results ‘in recent history’ after swinging to a bumper profit from a loss the prior year. 

The world’s biggest insurance marketplace, whose roots date back to a 17th-century coffee house, rebounded to a £10.7billion profit last year after making an £800million pre-tax loss in 2022. 

It credited the performance to higher interest rates and an ‘unwind of the previously booked mark-to-market loss’.

Recovery: Insurance marketplace Lloyd's of London, whose roots date back to a 17th-century coffee house, rebounded to a £10.7billion profit last year

Recovery: Insurance marketplace Lloyd's of London, whose roots date back to a 17th-century coffee house, rebounded to a £10.7billion profit last year

Recovery: Insurance marketplace Lloyd’s of London, whose roots date back to a 17th-century coffee house, rebounded to a £10.7billion profit last year

In the group’s underwriting arm, its profits swelled from £2.6billion to £5.9billion due to falling costs from large risks and natural catastrophe claims.

This helped boost the company’s combined ratio – the difference between written premiums and payouts – by nearly eight percentage points to 84 per cent, its highest level for 16 years.

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A ratio below 100 per cent denotes a profit, while any figure above that number represents a loss.

Gross written premiums at Lloyd’s totalled £52.1billion, an 11.6 per cent increase on the previous year and its third consecutive year of double-digit growth.

John Neal, chief executive of Lloyd’s, said: ‘The results we’re reporting today are our best in recent history, with an outstanding underwriting result underpinned by a strong and resilient balance sheet.

‘Our ability to attract – and provide returns on – capital is vital to ensuring we can support our customers through uncertainty.’

In the past few years, the insurance market has doled out billions in claims related to the Ukraine war, especially for aircraft stranded in Russia.

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It has also taken losses from a significant number of extreme weather events; in 2023, these included the Turkey-Syria Earthquake, Hawaii’s August wildfires, and Cyclone Gabrielle in Oceania.

Lloyd’s of London’s results come a few weeks after two of its insurers, Beazley and Hiscox, both reported record annual profits and launched major share buybacks.

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Fallen cryptocurrency mogul Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in jail

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Disgraced cryptocurrency wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in jail on Thursday following his conviction in one of the biggest financial fraud cases in history.

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US prosecutors were seeking a prison term of 40-50 years after a New York jury found Bankman-Fried, known by his initials SBF, guilty in November following a five-week trial that probed the one-time high roller’s spectacular fall.

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During the hearing Bankman-Fried told the courtroom that he was “sorry about what happened at every stage. And there are things I should’ve done and things I shouldn’t have.”

They “built something beautiful,” Bankman-Fried said. “And I threw it all away.”

The final sentence was meted out by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan who used the hearing to carefully walk through the financial crimes committed by Bankman-Fried.

There was “never a word of remorse for the commission of a terrible crime,” the judge said, adding that there was a risk Bankman-Fried would commit crimes again.

With the sentencing now done, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers said they would appeal his conviction.

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Calling Bankman-Fried’s seven-count conviction reflective of the defendant’s “unmatched greed and hubris,” the government’s sentencing request argued for significant jail time in light of fraud it estimates at more than $10 billion.

Bankman-Fried’s attorneys depicted their client as a diligent young man motivated by philanthropy who got in over his head, calling the government’s proposed sentence “barbaric.”

Their portrayal is similar to the one SBF’s defense presented at trial – which was quickly rejected by jurors after just five hours of deliberation.

Bankman-Fried’s defense team had asked for six years in prison, a sentence that would return him “promptly to a productive role in society,” said the attorneys led by Marc Mukasey.

FTX Implosion

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a billionaire before the age of 30, Bankman-Fried conquered the crypto world at breakneck speed, turning FTX, a small start-up he cofounded in 2019, into the world’s second largest exchange platform.

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But in November 2022, the FTX empire imploded, unable to cope with massive withdrawal requests from customers panicked to learn that some of the funds stored at the company had been committed to risky operations at Bankman-Fried’s personal hedge fund, Alameda Research.


During the trial, some of Bankman-Fried’s closest associates said that he was key to all the decisions that saw $8 billion vanish from FTX.

This group included Caroline Ellison, the former Alameda CEO and Bankman-Fried’s on-and-off-again girlfriend, who testified that Alameda had stolen “around $14 billion” from FTX clients and that Bankman-Fried “directed me to commit those crimes.”

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Filings from the prosecution and defense offered starkly different takes on Bankman-Fried, the son of two well-regarded law professors at tony Stanford University.

“The lack of contrition is galling,” said US Attorney Damian Williams, who took issue with the image of Bankman-Fried as “selfless” and “altruistic,” as championed by the defense, noting he used funds for “luxury” real estate, donations to rub shoulders with political leaders, a Super Bowl television ad and “access to celebrities.”

The defense’s statement describes Bankman-Fried as “wracked” with remorse over the implosion of FTX.

Recovered funds

Bankman-Fried’s attorneys also pointed to statements from FTX’s current leaders expressing confidence that FTX customers and creditors would get back their money, saying in the brief that “the harm to customers, lenders and investors is zero.”

That argument drew a scathing response from FTX Trading Chief Executive John Ray, who said ongoing recoveries of ill-gotten gains do not make up for fraud.

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“That things he stole… were successfully recovered through the efforts of a dedicated group” of professionals “does not mean the things were not stolen,” Ray said in a letter to the court.

“What it means is that we got some of them back.”

(AFP)

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From caves to lagoons and lost-in-time islands: Britain’s top 15 stunning ‘off the beaten track’ locations to explore this Easter revealed. So how many have YOU visited?

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Want to make your Easter bucket list a bit more egg-citing?

Then hop along to one of the spots here, listed in a ranking of Britain’s top 15 off-the-beaten-track destinations.

This hotlist was identified by Jeep and a team of experts from Ordnance Survey. They are all pinpointed on an interactive ‘Get Lost with Jeep Compass’ digital map and help form a list of 100 hidden gems.

The top 15 list includes Britain’s only desert, a magical wood, a bay with black sand, the home of England’s largest grey seal colony and an island that feels like it belongs in a bygone era.

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The list follows research by Jeep detailing how nearly a third of UK adults (30 per cent) have explored little of Britain to date – the equivalent of 16million people – yet 80 per cent want to see more of the country. The study found that 24 per cent of Brits have never visited Scotland (13million) and 17 per cent (nine million) have never been to Wales.

Scroll down to see pictures of the top 15 and have your say on the best of the best in MailOnline Travel’s poll at the bottom.

Hike up Schiehallion mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and you'll be rewarded with 'breathtaking views of the Scottish Highlands', says Ordnance Survey. OS grid reference: NN 71382 54788

Hike up Schiehallion mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and you'll be rewarded with 'breathtaking views of the Scottish Highlands', says Ordnance Survey. OS grid reference: NN 71382 54788

Hike up Schiehallion mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and you’ll be rewarded with ‘breathtaking views of the Scottish Highlands’, says Ordnance Survey. OS grid reference: NN 71382 54788

Pictured here is Old Winchester Hill in England's South Downs National Park. The spot is both a nature reserve and an Iron Age hillfort, notes Ordnance Survey, which adds that the area has its own herd of Herdwick sheep, a breed usually only found in the Lake District. OS grid reference: SU 64077 20578

Pictured here is Old Winchester Hill in England's South Downs National Park. The spot is both a nature reserve and an Iron Age hillfort, notes Ordnance Survey, which adds that the area has its own herd of Herdwick sheep, a breed usually only found in the Lake District. OS grid reference: SU 64077 20578

Pictured here is Old Winchester Hill in England’s South Downs National Park. The spot is both a nature reserve and an Iron Age hillfort, notes Ordnance Survey, which adds that the area has its own herd of Herdwick sheep, a breed usually only found in the Lake District. OS grid reference: SU 64077 20578

Behold Porthgain Blue Lagoon in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which is accessible by foot or by sea. Ordnance Survey recommends taking a walk across the nearby cliffs for 'breathtaking views'. OS grid reference: SM 79483 31496

Behold Porthgain Blue Lagoon in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which is accessible by foot or by sea. Ordnance Survey recommends taking a walk across the nearby cliffs for 'breathtaking views'. OS grid reference: SM 79483 31496

Behold Porthgain Blue Lagoon in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which is accessible by foot or by sea. Ordnance Survey recommends taking a walk across the nearby cliffs for ‘breathtaking views’. OS grid reference: SM 79483 31496

Above is the island of Eilean na Moine, a 'must-visit' for Harry Potter fans, as it provided the location for Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore's grave in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie. It's located on Loch Eilt, which Ordnance Survey describes as 'stunning'. OS grid reference: NM 79000 82647

Above is the island of Eilean na Moine, a 'must-visit' for Harry Potter fans, as it provided the location for Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore's grave in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie. It's located on Loch Eilt, which Ordnance Survey describes as 'stunning'. OS grid reference: NM 79000 82647

Above is the island of Eilean na Moine, a ‘must-visit’ for Harry Potter fans, as it provided the location for Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore’s grave in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie. It’s located on Loch Eilt, which Ordnance Survey describes as ‘stunning’. OS grid reference: NM 79000 82647

Above is 'pristine' Three Cliffs Bay in Swansea, which is framed by limestone cliffs and boasts a beach with dunes and a salt marsh that OS notes can be explored at low tide. OS grid reference: SS 53498 87797

Above is 'pristine' Three Cliffs Bay in Swansea, which is framed by limestone cliffs and boasts a beach with dunes and a salt marsh that OS notes can be explored at low tide. OS grid reference: SS 53498 87797

Above is ‘pristine’ Three Cliffs Bay in Swansea, which is framed by limestone cliffs and boasts a beach with dunes and a salt marsh that OS notes can be explored at low tide. OS grid reference: SS 53498 87797

Tranquil Talisker Bay on the Isle of Skye mesmerises with its black volcanic sands. OS grid reference: NG 30755 30447

Tranquil Talisker Bay on the Isle of Skye mesmerises with its black volcanic sands. OS grid reference: NG 30755 30447

Tranquil Talisker Bay on the Isle of Skye mesmerises with its black volcanic sands. OS grid reference: NG 30755 30447

This is Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which yorkshiredales.org.uk points out is one of the largest underground chambers in Britain. The main chamber, it explains, is 129m (423ft) long and 31m (101ft) high. OS Grid Reference: SD 75130 72733

This is Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which yorkshiredales.org.uk points out is one of the largest underground chambers in Britain. The main chamber, it explains, is 129m (423ft) long and 31m (101ft) high. OS Grid Reference: SD 75130 72733
Reelig Glen near Inverness is now Britain's tallest tree with a height of 217.10ft (66.4m). OS grid reference: NH 55727 42941

Reelig Glen near Inverness is now Britain's tallest tree with a height of 217.10ft (66.4m). OS grid reference: NH 55727 42941

LEFT: This is Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which yorkshiredales.org.uk points out is one of the largest underground chambers in Britain. The main chamber, it explains, is 129m (423ft) long and 31m (101ft) high. OS Grid Reference: SD 75130 72733. RIGHT: Reelig Glen near Inverness is now Britain’s tallest tree with a height of 217.10ft (66.4m). OS grid reference: NH 55727 42941 

Ordnance Survey claims that being on the north-west coast of Iona, above, an island in the Inner Hebrides with a population of just 170, 'feels like stepping back in time'. OS grid reference: NM 26307 24671

Ordnance Survey claims that being on the north-west coast of Iona, above, an island in the Inner Hebrides with a population of just 170, 'feels like stepping back in time'. OS grid reference: NM 26307 24671

Ordnance Survey claims that being on the north-west coast of Iona, above, an island in the Inner Hebrides with a population of just 170, ‘feels like stepping back in time’. OS grid reference: NM 26307 24671

Chartists Cave in Powys, Wales, is reached via 'a challenging walk from the village of Llangynidr', but there's a reward - 'the best of the Welsh countryside'. OS grid reference: SO 127152

Chartists Cave in Powys, Wales, is reached via 'a challenging walk from the village of Llangynidr', but there's a reward - 'the best of the Welsh countryside'. OS grid reference: SO 127152

Chartists Cave in Powys, Wales, is reached via ‘a challenging walk from the village of Llangynidr’, but there’s a reward – ‘the best of the Welsh countryside’. OS grid reference: SO 127152

Behold spellbinding Wistman's Wood, a temperate rainforest in Devon's breathtaking Dartmoor National Park. OS grid reference: SX 61447 77874

Behold spellbinding Wistman's Wood, a temperate rainforest in Devon's breathtaking Dartmoor National Park. OS grid reference: SX 61447 77874

Behold spellbinding Wistman’s Wood, a temperate rainforest in Devon’s breathtaking Dartmoor National Park. OS grid reference: SX 61447 77874 

Blakeney Point in Norfolk is a 'magical place' that's home to England's largest grey seal colony, with over 4,000 pups born each winter. OS grid reference: TG 01075 45966

Blakeney Point in Norfolk is a 'magical place' that's home to England's largest grey seal colony, with over 4,000 pups born each winter. OS grid reference: TG 01075 45966

Blakeney Point in Norfolk is a ‘magical place’ that’s home to England’s largest grey seal colony, with over 4,000 pups born each winter. OS grid reference: TG 01075 45966 

Above is Watkins Path Pools in Snowdonia - a superb spot for wild swimming, notes OS. OS grid reference: SH 62645 51654

Above is Watkins Path Pools in Snowdonia - a superb spot for wild swimming, notes OS. OS grid reference: SH 62645 51654

Above is Watkins Path Pools in Snowdonia – a superb spot for wild swimming, notes OS. OS grid reference: SH 62645 51654

Montgomery Castle, perched on a crag above the Georgian town of Montgomery in Wales, dates back to the 13th century. However, it was demolished in 1649 and has been an eye-catching cluster of ruins ever since.  OS grid reference: SO 21883 96830

Montgomery Castle, perched on a crag above the Georgian town of Montgomery in Wales, dates back to the 13th century. However, it was demolished in 1649 and has been an eye-catching cluster of ruins ever since.  OS grid reference: SO 21883 96830

Montgomery Castle, perched on a crag above the Georgian town of Montgomery in Wales, dates back to the 13th century. However, it was demolished in 1649 and has been an eye-catching cluster of ruins ever since.  OS grid reference: SO 21883 96830

Dungeness in Kent is sometimes referred to as Britain's only desert. It's a tiny fishing town with a 'surreal' landscape peppered with abandoned boats and fishing huts. There's a disused railway, too. OS grid reference: TR 08901 16953

Dungeness in Kent is sometimes referred to as Britain's only desert. It's a tiny fishing town with a 'surreal' landscape peppered with abandoned boats and fishing huts. There's a disused railway, too. OS grid reference: TR 08901 16953

Dungeness in Kent is sometimes referred to as Britain’s only desert. It’s a tiny fishing town with a ‘surreal’ landscape peppered with abandoned boats and fishing huts. There’s a disused railway, too. OS grid reference: TR 08901 16953

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Quirk in US maritime law may be key to liability in Baltimore bridge disaster

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The investigation continues to determine why a container ship, the Dali, smashed into a pillar of the 2.6 km span of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge in early morning darkness on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and leaving six construction workers presumed dead.

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However, establishing the precise cause of the accident will be just the first step in untangling the question of who will shoulder the financial cost of the disaster, which will be considerable. 

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John Neal, chief executive of the leading global insurer Lloyds of London, told British media on Thursday that the accident is “certainly going to be one of the largest marine losses in history”.  

Mathilde Jakobsen, senior director of analytics at the credit rating agency AM Best, agreed, noting that “while the total cost of the bridge collapse and associated claims will not be clear for some time, it is likely to run into the billions of dollars”. 

The tragedy could lead to up to $4 billion in insurance claims, Morningstar DBRS said.

Reinsurers – insurers that handle risks that are too large for insurance companies to handle alone – “will bear the bulk of the insured cost of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore”, according to Jakobsen. 

The Dali’s insurer, Britannia P&I Club, is part of a global group of mutual insurance organisations that pool liability for the shipping industry. 

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Known as protection and indemnity (P&I) clubs, they provide “liability cover for most shipping vessels” and “collectively insure approximately 90% of the world’s ocean-going tonnage”, notes Jakobsen.  

Insurance claims from the bridge collapse will take a long time to determine and involve the families of those who died, the injured, those suffering damage to property, cargo and the cost of the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the US eastern seaboard.  

Maritime law from the 19th century

But according to the maritime lawyer John Fulweiler, the Dali’s owners, Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private, will certainly try to limit their liability from lawsuits by using a 19th century US maritime law that he calls “a powerful tool that favours vessel owners”.  

The law was originally meant to prevent shipping companies from having to pay overwhelming losses from accidents at sea. 

The ship’s owners, Fulweiler told FRANCE by email, can petition federal court under the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, and bring all potential claims against them “into a single courtroom before a single federal judge”.  

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“When the Act is triggered, the court issues an order halting all claims that might be pending in other forums,” notes Fulweiler. 

“It’s an old piece of legislation” that produces “a lot of injustices,” says Fulweiler, by capping the ship owner’s liability to a sum equal to the “post-incident value of the vessel” and the earnings it collected from carrying the freight on board. 

The wreckage wrought by the Dali is estimated to far exceed its current value.  

According to Fulweiler, “the murky waters of the marine world give amplified lobbying power to those representing marine insurers and vessel owners”. 

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)

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How ultra-rare conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel drive, eat and have sex

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America’s most famous conjoined twins are back in the news today after it was revealed one of them had gotten married.

Abby Hensel – who shot to fame on a reality TV series with sister Brittany – quietly tied the knot with an army veteran in 2021. 

It has led many to speculate how the sisters carry out day-to-day activities, including intimate ones.

Abby and Brittany, 34, from Minnesota, are one of only a handful of sets of dicephalus twins in history, meaning they have two heads and two hearts but share a single body from the waist down – including their genitals.

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Although Brittany – the left twin – can’t feel anything on the right side of the body and Abigail – the right twin – can’t feel anything on her left, instinctively their limbs move as if coordinated by one person, even when typing e-mails on the computer.

This means they are able to do most things a nonconjoined person can do, including driving and cooking, and they’ve also mastered things like playing the piano.

The pair passed their driving test on their 16th birthday, with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel

The pair passed their driving test on their 16th birthday, with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel

The pair passed their driving test on their 16th birthday, with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel

'Abby takes over the pedals and the shifter, we both steer, and I take over the blinker and the lights,' Brittany (on the right) said

'Abby takes over the pedals and the shifter, we both steer, and I take over the blinker and the lights,' Brittany (on the right) said

‘Abby takes over the pedals and the shifter, we both steer, and I take over the blinker and the lights,’ Brittany (on the right) said

The sisters (pictured) are now both fifth grade teachers at an elementary school in New Brighton, Minnesota, where they teach math

The sisters (pictured) are now both fifth grade teachers at an elementary school in New Brighton, Minnesota, where they teach math

The sisters (pictured) are now both fifth grade teachers at an elementary school in New Brighton, Minnesota, where they teach math

For tasks such as replying to emails, they use the keyboard and respond as one, anticipating each other’s feelings with little verbal communication between them.

As for driving, the twins passed their driving test on their 16th birthday – a mind-boggling feat of teamwork with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel.

The pair share a single body, and from the waist down, all their organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared

The pair share a single body, and from the waist down, all their organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared

The pair share a single body, and from the waist down, all their organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared

‘Abby takes over the pedals and the shifter, we both steer, and I take over the blinker and the lights,’ Brittany said.

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When they took their driving test, their mother Patty, a registered nurse, conceded there could have been a problem.

She said: ‘I don’t know what would happen if they got pulled over for speeding. Would they each get a ticket or just Abby because it’s her foot on the accelerator?’

The twins also stunned doctors with their astonishing co-ordination while playing the piano, with Abigail taking the right-hand parts and Brittany the left. 

Growing up, they enjoyed sports such as bowling, volleyball, cycling, softball and swimming.

But how the pair handle intimacy is the question many are intrigued to know the answer to.

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Abby Hensel (pictured left), now 34, got married to nurse and former US veteran Josh Bowling (pictured right) back in 2021

Abby Hensel (pictured left), now 34, got married to nurse and former US veteran Josh Bowling (pictured right) back in 2021

Abby Hensel (pictured left), now 34, got married to nurse and former US veteran Josh Bowling (pictured right) back in 2021 

Abby's relationship with Josh, who is a father-of-one, has gone under the radar until now, with the twins leading a quieter life out of the spotlight in the past 10 years

Abby's relationship with Josh, who is a father-of-one, has gone under the radar until now, with the twins leading a quieter life out of the spotlight in the past 10 years

Abby’s relationship with Josh, who is a father-of-one, has gone under the radar until now, with the twins leading a quieter life out of the spotlight in the past 10 years

Abby (pictured right) dancing with her groom at her wedding day, while wearing a stunning white lace dress

Abby (pictured right) dancing with her groom at her wedding day, while wearing a stunning white lace dress

Abby (pictured right) dancing with her groom at her wedding day, while wearing a stunning white lace dress

One may assume that, like everyone else, conjoined twins experience sexual desires – but some don’t.

Conjoined twins Lupita and Carmen Andrare, 23, born in Mexico but living in Connecticut, US, have the same physical makeup to Abby and Brittany.

While Carmen has a boyfriend named Daniel, Lupita is asexual, meaning she is not sexually attracted to others.

But even Carmen and Daniel are not sexually intimate, with Carmen describing their bond as more of a ‘close friendship’ in an interview with Jubilee. 

Famous conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker, from Thailand, were joined only by a bit of liver and skin, and so had separate genitals.

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They both married separately, and judging by the fact that Chang had 10 children, while Eng had 12, it is safe to say they both had sex.

People have speculated that while one was ‘busy’ with their wife, the other one must have tried to sleep, read or ignore what was going on, to give as much privacy and dignity as possible.

With Abby and Brittany, who share the bottom-half of their body, it is slightly different.

During their TLC show (pictured), the twins displayed an astonishing sense of co-ordination, with each using one arm to perform tasks, including playing the piano and sport

During their TLC show (pictured), the twins displayed an astonishing sense of co-ordination, with each using one arm to perform tasks, including playing the piano and sport
During their TLC show (pictured), the twins displayed an astonishing sense of co-ordination, with each using one arm to perform tasks, including playing the piano and sport

During their TLC show (pictured), the twins displayed an astonishing sense of co-ordination, with each using one arm to perform tasks, including playing the piano and sport

During their TLC show (pictured), the twins displayed an astonishing sense of co-ordination, with each using one arm to perform tasks, including playing the piano and sport

The pair (pictured as children) share a single body, and from the waist down, all their organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared

The pair (pictured as children) share a single body, and from the waist down, all their organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared

The pair (pictured as children) share a single body, and from the waist down, all their organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared

Abby and her sister Brittany (pictured during their childhood), one of only a few sets of dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy, rose to fame on their eponymous TLC show which chronicled their major life events, including their high school graduation and job hunting

Abby and her sister Brittany (pictured during their childhood), one of only a few sets of dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy, rose to fame on their eponymous TLC show which chronicled their major life events, including their high school graduation and job hunting

Abby and her sister Brittany (pictured during their childhood), one of only a few sets of dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy, rose to fame on their eponymous TLC show which chronicled their major life events, including their high school graduation and job hunting

Like most conjoined twins, Abby and Brittany have never publicly spoken about their sex life, despite immense public curiosity.

As the Hensel twins share one set of genitals, they would both feel any touching down there, wrote Alice Dreger, a professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, in The Atlantic.

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As for whether both would experience an orgasm at the same time, we don’t know, she said.

Because there is significant variability of each twin’s ‘feeling’ in different body parts, it is ‘hard to guess how any conjoinment will turn out in practice,’ Professor Derger said.

Some have speculated that dicephalus twins would both experience a simultaneous orgasm, given that they share the same sexual organ, with the same nerves, muscles and blood vessels.

What about kissing? Will both sisters feel it if one is kissed? 

Professor Dreger wrote: ‘The biology geek in me wants to answer that the happy hormones that come from a good kiss probably work their way to both brains. 

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‘But the student of human nature in me says that when your sister gets kissed and you don’t, it’s quite possible that the unhappy hormones end up standing at the gate.’

Professor Dreger said that from her studies, she assumes conjoined twins likely have less sex than average people, not just because finding a partner is harder but because they may not need romantic partners to have sex with as much as everyone else does.

Over the years, she added, many twins have described their experience of being conjoined as like being attached to a soul mate, so they may feel less need for a romantic relationship with another person.

As for eating, the twins tend to have separate meals, but sometimes share a single meal for convenience, for example, each taking a bite out of the same hot dog

As for eating, the twins tend to have separate meals, but sometimes share a single meal for convenience, for example, each taking a bite out of the same hot dog

As for eating, the twins tend to have separate meals, but sometimes share a single meal for convenience, for example, each taking a bite out of the same hot dog

The girls are shown graduating from Bethel University in Minnesota in the first episode of their reality show

The girls are shown graduating from Bethel University in Minnesota in the first episode of their reality show

The girls are shown graduating from Bethel University in Minnesota in the first episode of their reality show

Another looming question is will the Hensel’s have children – a choice they must both make in tandem because they share one reproductive system? 

There is no medical reason why they shouldn’t be able to have children, and they have in the past said they would like to start a family.

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As for eating, the twins tend to have separate meals, but sometimes share a single meal for convenience, for example, each taking a bite out of the same hot dog.

The twins have two digestive systems including two separate esophagus’ and stomachs, but share a large intestine, small intestine, bladder and excretion system.

It is rare for twins conjoined the way that Abby and Brittany are to survive into adulthood, but despite this they are in good health, without heart defects or organ failure.

When the Hensel twins were born on March 7, 1990, in Minnesota, doctors warned their parents Patty and Mike that they were unlikely to survive the night. But that prediction was to prove wildly wrong.

Their parents Patty and Mike never once considered having the twins separated, because of the risk both might die or be left with such severe disabilities their quality of life would be compromised.

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Separation surgery success for conjoined twins depends on where the twins are joined. 

According to previous reports, only once have the Hensel twins talked about separation – in childhood – when Abigail became bored and restless after Brittany fell ill with pneumonia and was confined to bed.

She started to suggest being separated from her sister, but when Brittany began to cry Abigail reassured her that everything was fine and that they’d never be parted.

Conjoined twins occur when siblings have their skin or internal organs fused together, which affects around one in 200,000 live births.

It is caused by a fertilized egg beginning to split into two embryos a few weeks after conception, but the process stops before it is complete.

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The most common type is twins joined at the chest or abdomen.

Doctors can only tell which organs the siblings share, and therefore plan surgery, after they are born. At least one twin survives 75 percent of the time. Just one set of twins in every 40,000 is born connected in some way to each other and only one per cent of those survive beyond the first year.

The Hensel girls are the rarest form of conjoined twins, the result of a single fertilized egg which failed to separate properly in the womb, resulting in dicephalic parapagus – where the twins have two heads and a single body with two arms and two legs.

They have two spines (which join at the pelvis), two hearts, two esophagi, two stomachs, three kidneys, two gall bladders, four lungs (two of which are joined), one liver, one ribcage, a shared circulatory system and partially shared nervous systems.

From the waist down, all organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared.

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In infancy, a third undeveloped arm was removed from the twins’ chest and aged 12 they underwent surgery to correct scoliosis – curvature of the spine – and expand their chest cavity to prevent future breathing difficulties.

Abby and Brittany face a common stigma that they are one person instead of two.

When growing up, they, like many twins, had very different personalities and tastes. Abigail, the feisty, stubborn one, liked orange juice for breakfast, while Brittany, the joker of the family, would only touch milk.

Speaking previously, Brittany, who alongside her sibling graduated from Bethel University in Minnesota, said: ‘Believe me, we are totally different people.’

It has not been unknown for the twins to go out in a specially made top with two different necklines – to reflect their unique tastes – and leggings with each leg a contrasting color and a different shoe on each foot.

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Off the deep end: France’s love of swimming pools

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With more than 3 million private swimming pools, France has more “piscines” than any other nation in Europe. We find out why the sector has been booming for years and how the government is using AI to crack down on illegal pools. We also look into the challenges, benefits and heritage of France’s public swimming pools.  

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