All posts tagged: preparing

China preparing delivery of new air defense systems to Iran, report says

China preparing delivery of new air defense systems to Iran, report says

China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran in the next few weeks, following over a month of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s military and missile capabilities, CNN reported Saturday. The outlet cited three people familiar with recent U.S. intelligence assessments. Two of these sources told the outlet that Beijing could route… Source link

Preparing for a Covid-style crisis  

Preparing for a Covid-style crisis  

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music An energy shock that once felt distant is starting to look very real as the war in Iran spirals … and the EU is considering a Covid-style crisis response. From emergency meetings to talk of jointly purchasing energy — host Zoya Sheftalovich and Senior EU Politics Editor Ian Wishart explain how some of the strategies being floated are straight out of the pandemic-era playbook. Also on the pod, Péter Magyar is ahead in the polls in the lead-up to the Hungarian general election, but it’s by no means a slam dunk. According to some experts, years of  gerrymandering and media capture by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party mean the opposition leader still faces an uphill challenge. Finally, if you’re looking to buy a ticket to the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, you might be disappointed: Prices are soaring. In fact, MEPs have asked the Commission to look into FIFA’s opaque ticket-sale tactics. If you have questions or comments, you can reach us on our WhatsApp by clicking here or dialing +32 491 05 06 29. Source …

Trump accused of preparing for ground invasion of Iran | World | News

Trump accused of preparing for ground invasion of Iran | World | News

Iran has accused US President Donald Trump of gearing up for a possible ground invasion of Iranian territory. The Pentagon is said to have been preparing for “weeks of ground operations”, after around 3,500 US personnel, including Marines, arrived in the region. The personnel arrived in their thousands aboard the USS Tripoli warship, US Central Command confirmed. In a direct threat, Iran says its forces are prepared and poised for US troops to attempt a ground invasion, warning that they would fiercely resist and “engulf” American forces if they attempt to step foot on Iranian soil. In a message published to mark 30 days since the start of the war, speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said: “The enemy signals negotiation in public, while in secret it plots a ground attack.” He continued: “Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased.” The parliament speaker said Tehran is “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire”. Marking a month since the conflict …

Apple Preparing ‘Most Significant Overhaul in the iPhone’s History’

Apple Preparing ‘Most Significant Overhaul in the iPhone’s History’

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple’s first foldable iPhone. In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be “the most significant overhaul in the iPhone’s history.” “iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design,” he said. Like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like a book, providing users with a large inner screen for watching videos, playing games, and multitasking. iOS 27 is expected to be optimized for the foldable iPhone, allowing for apps to be open side-by-side and for other iPad-like multitasking functionality. A few months ago, a report said the foldable iPhone will be equipped with a 7.7-inch inner display, and a 5.3-inch outer display. It was initially rumored that the device would have a virtually “crease-free” inner display, but it was later reported that Apple is using technology that “reduces the crease without eliminating it entirely.” Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the foldable iPhone to have two …

The Kurdish Ground Force Preparing to Fight in Iran

The Kurdish Ground Force Preparing to Fight in Iran

Earlier this month, high in the snow-capped mountains near the border between Iran and Iraq, a Kurdish rebel led me down a foot trail to the opening of a cave. We stepped inside and walked about 50 yards along a dark man-made passageway where water dripped steadily from the rocky ceiling. Then we turned down one of the cave’s branching tunnels and passed through a wood-framed entryway into a brightly lit and immaculate room with a long table and a television mounted on a wall. A dozen men and women wearing the short jackets, baggy trousers, and waist sashes of the Kurdish rebels known as the Peshmerga greeted me. These were the leaders of the Kurdistan Free Life Party, better known as PJAK, which has been aspiring to topple the Iranian regime for decades. “We are on the trigger finger,” one of them told me. “After 22 years in the movement, we have never been this busy.” The American-Israeli effort to bring down the Iranian regime is not likely to succeed without the help of …

Airlines Are Already Preparing for an Oil Crisis

Airlines Are Already Preparing for an Oil Crisis

The war with Iran and ensuing blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane, has spiked oil prices and sent governments scrabbling for their reserves. How high will prices go, and how bad could it get? On Friday night, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby published a memo to his employees that demonstrates his very fuel-dependent business is prepping for a very long fallout. “Our plans assume oil goes to $175/barrel and doesn’t get back down to $100/barrel until the end of 2027,” he wrote. Jet fuel accounts for between a quarter and a third of airlines’ operating costs. Prices have doubled from $70 a barrel since the war started four weeks ago, threatening to seriously cut into airlines’ profitability. Kirby said that his airline has a strategy: United will cut some 5 percent of its planned flight schedule during the second and third quarters of this year, with trims coming especially in “off peak periods” like redeyes and less popular travel days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. “Honestly, I think there’s a good chance …

Martin Clunes recalls watching ‘chilling’ Huw Edwards clip while preparing to portray ex-BBC newsreader

Martin Clunes recalls watching ‘chilling’ Huw Edwards clip while preparing to portray ex-BBC newsreader

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Martin Clunes has opened up about playing disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards in the forthcoming Channel 5 TV series Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards. To prepare for the role, the 64-year-old star of Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly examined an extensive archive of footage, describing one particular clip as “chilling” in light of the later revelations about Edwards. Edwards, 64, was once one of the most respected presenters at the BBC, fronting News at 10 for decades. His career came crashing down in 2024, when he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. open image in gallery Martin Clunes as Huw Edwards in ‘Power’ (left), and Huw Edwards in 2020 (right) (Channel 5/ITV) Power, a new two-part series airing later this month, charts Edwards’s downfall, and re-creates the presenter’s interactions with a teenager known by the pseudonym “Ryan Davies”. …

Christie’s Preparing for Modern British and Irish Art Sale in London

Christie’s Preparing for Modern British and Irish Art Sale in London

After taking an impressive £197.5 million ($265 million) from its marathon, three-pronged modern and contemporary evening sale last week, Christie’s London is now preparing for its modern British and Irish art sale on March 18. Frank Auerbach, Lynn Chadwick, and Barbara Hepworth spearhead the tightly curated auction of 26 works. Among the top lots is Auerbach’s Christmas Tree at Mornington Crescent (2004-05), which has a high estimate of £2 million ($2.6 million). Rendered in the artist’s trademark thick paint and striking in scale, the painting exemplifies Auerbach’s tactile approach to landscape. Mornington Crescent, located near Auerbach’s Camden studio, was one of several North London sites he returned to repeatedly over decades. Related Articles Another highlight is Chadwick’s bronze Back to Venice (1988), appearing at auction for the first time and from the collection of Dr. Robert Holton. Conceived and cast more than three decades after Chadwick won the International Prize for Sculpture at the 1956 Venice Biennale, the work reflects the artist’s long relationship with the city that helped establish his international reputation. Christie’s sold …

Why another US state is preparing a 10 mph e-bike speed limit [Update]

Why another US state is preparing a 10 mph e-bike speed limit [Update]

Florida is the latest US state to wade into the increasingly crowded waters of e-bike regulation, with lawmakers advancing a bill that would impose a situational 10 mph (16 km/h) speed limit for e-bikes on shared-use paths. It’s a move that fits squarely into a broader national trend, as states and cities across the country reconsider how electric bikes fit into public spaces that were never designed with fast, motor-assisted travel in mind. [Update February 27, 2026: The Florida Senate has unanimously passed this bill, and now it moves on to the House, where if it also passes, it will be sent to the Governor to be signed into law.] The proposed Florida legislation isn’t a blanket crackdown on e-bikes, nor does it rewrite the familiar three-class system like we’ve seen in harsher crackdowns such as the recently created New Jersey law. Instead, it zeroes in on where and how e-bikes are used, particularly on sidewalks and multi-use paths where speed differences between users can quickly become a safety issue. What the bill proposes At …