List of All Articles with Tag 't'

Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara decides against taking up a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia. The 32-year-old will stay at Anfield to fight for his place under Jurgen Klopp.

By Elizabeth Pineau PARIS (Reuters) -A crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the family of the policeman who shot dead

Attracting over 18 million tourists a year, Amsterdam has become the hot spot for travellers across the globe. Filled with tree-lined streets, picturesque canals and some of the finest culinary creations and art, the Dutch city has something for everyone – despite the stereotypes. Now, we can't speak about Dam without addressing the elephant in the room. You could be a foodie; an art enthusiast; a world traveller, or simply passing through the city on a connecting flight – but you'll inevitably be asked by friends, family and peers about your smoking habits – or lack of. Yes, it's legal – but it certainly isn't the be-all, end-all. In fact, tourists who have had the pleasure of visiting Amsterdam recently would have noticed the absence of smoke in the air, which is down to a newly enforced rule last month. There's much, much more to the beautiful, culturally enriched city. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Nestled in the Museum Quarter of the city resides Jan Luyken, a newly-renovated property surrounded by depths of culture and an elegant shopping street. Think, the Bond Street of Amsterdam. From rich-coloured walls graced with contemporary art to grande mirrors and fringed lampshades, it's no surprise l immediately fell for Jan Luyken. The moment you step into the hidden gem, you feel the essence of laidback luxury and incredible attention to detail woven throughout. There's not a corner in the hotel that ignores the memo, from the reception area adorned with delicate glassware and vibrant flower to the rooms that boast comfortable beds, stunning Amsterdam views and tons of natural light. Not to mention, Jan Luyken has a host of some of the friendliest staff members happy to assist with any questions or concerns. They were also equipped with recommendations on some of the area's best fine-dining restaurants and world-famous museums and There are also plenty of shared spaces dotted around the ground floor – perfect for winding down after a long day exploring the city. There's a library decked out with an array of books and lifestyle magazines and plenty of space to truly make Amsterdam feel like a home away from home – especially for a solo traveller like myself. Jan Luyken even provides guests with a kitchen, complete with top-of-the-range Smeg appliances and complimentary baked goods, beverages and fresh fruit. The garden terrace adds an extra special spin to Jan Luyken, as outdoor space is often considered quite a rarity among hotels. It's located next to an aesthetically pleasing gym that makes working out feel that little bit easier. With a hotel so impressive, it can sometimes be tempting to stay in and around it – but with 48 hours in the city, I had to temporarily leave my newfound home comforts to prove that Amsterdam is much more than the stereotypes. Museums Amsterdam does many things well, museums being one of them. The city is jam-packed with cultural experiences, from fine art to photography and history. Two days certainly won't get you through the array of galleries across the city, but there are two in particular that should not be missed. Moco Museum: Founded in 2016, the independent museum boasts a variety of modern, contemporary, and street art. Here, you will find pieces from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Icy & Sot, JR, KAWS, Keith Haring, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Yayoi Kusama, THE KID, Andy Warhol, Studio Irma, among many more. The Museum of Prostitution: While Amsterdam's sex industry remains open, there's still an air of mystery surrounding it. At the world's first prostitution museum, you will learn about the Red Lights Secrets through an interactive experience. Without giving too much away, the museum delves into the history of sex work in the city, what a typical room looks like and positive testimonials. It also does not shy away from the darker truths of the industry, such as trafficking and unsolved murder cases. Parks Vondelpark: Considered one of the city's most famous parks, this charming area makes the perfect destination to wind down from walking around the city after a long day. During the summer months, there's a host of activities, bandstands – and it even has its own Picasso sculpture hidden along the path. Food Dinner in the Pulitzer Garden: For the foodies, this al-fresco dining experience is a must. Inspired by modern-Dutch cuisine, it offers a wide range of impressive culinary creations and beautifully crafted cocktails. This gem is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with an idyllic view of the tranquil gardens. For more information about Jan Luyken, click here. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Twitter has been plunged into chaos in recent days, amid new “rate limits” and rules that actually stop people from using the site. The changes have been dramatic enough that they have led to speculation that they could be the thing to finally doom Elon Musk’s takeover of the social network. What are the ‘rate limits’? It is a somewhat technical term for a complex process that has a simple effect: users are rationed on how many tweets they can see. If people and the apps they use make too many requests too often – in this case for tweets – then the service will stop providing them. On Twitter, the new rate limits are different depending on what kind of user is on: someone who pays for the premium “Twitter Blue” service will get more than a normal user, for instance. They are also changing all the time, with the limit being increased recently. Twitter has long had rate limits, which ensure that malicious actors cannot send huge number of requests to the site and bring it down, for instance. But they would previously only have been hit by people using specific tools, since they were much higher. What happens when you hit the limit? Users will see a warning telling them they have received the rate limit. The site will then stop working properly, because it will refuse to load any more tweets. Why has it happened? The official explanation is that Elon Musk is concerned about how many artificial intelligence companies are scraping posts from Twitter in order to feed to their systems and teach them more about how to use language. In an attempt to stop that, Mr Musk placed the limits to make it harder for that scraping to happen. But there is no proof that is actually the case. The problems at Twitter may well be infrastructural issues caused by the site’s engineering, and its lack of staff, that have made it incapable of serving normal requests. Or it might be a mix of the two. There is no doubt that the site is being scraped, but rate limits of this kind are an unusual way of responding to it, and other sites that are being scraped have not needed to do the same thing. Are there other changes? The other major change instituted recently by Elon Musk is to ban people who are not signed into the site from seeing posts. This is ostensibly for the same reason, since it means that scrapers cannot just gather up posts from the site from the outside. It already means that some things about Twitter are not working as they used to. If someone sends a tweet within a messaging app, for instance, then the posts’ preview won’t show, since the app cannot access the tweet. Will this change how people use Twitter? Almost certainly. Much of Twitter’s value lies in its high-profile and high-commitment users: the celebrities, organisations and big brands who use it to post, and the engaged users who follow them. That is much of what sustains its place in culture, even as it gets fewer users than much bigger social networks such as Facebook. The recent changes have directly antagonised those users. Big organisations cannot rely on tweets as a way for anyone to see what they’re posting, since users have to be logged in; engaged users cannot rely on being able to use the platform, since they are set to be rate limited. What’s more, the recent changes could cause problems for advertisers, given how important it is for users to stay engaged and see their posts. Companies are already using Twitter less for advertising, as a result of other controversies, and that may just continue. Is this the end? Some people have been predicting an end to Twitter since long before Elon Musk took it over; when he did, those predictions got louder and more regular, but they have still been largely wrong. It appears that no matter what Mr Musk does, people keep logging on and using the site. That might well be largely due to network effects: the idea that the value really comes from the number of people using the platform, which also makes it very difficult to create a new one. People might be unhappy on Twitter, but the network effect means they might feel lonely or that they are missing out if they move elsewhere. But all of that doesn’t mean that this time around won’t be the end. Certainly the latest problems have the most obviously problematic effect, of forcing Twitter’s most engaged users to not use the app, which might finally encourage them to go elsewhere. In the end, the discussion is often based on the idea that there will be some big moment that causes everyone to leave Twitter, or for the app to die. In fact, social networks have tended to decline slowly before they are finally shut down; something that might already be happening on Twitter. What are the alternatives to Twitter? Again, people have been trying to replace Twitter for years, for reasons including everything from protests against its content management rules to opposition to its centralised nature. Attempts to create a new Twitter have only increased since Elon Musk took over the original one. But they have almost always failed to take off. Network effects and the relative maturity of Twitter as a platform mean that they have always faced a challenge, and never really met it. As such there are a number of alternatives to Twitter. Notable among them are Mastodon, which is decentralised and has become perhaps the most discussed new alternative, and Bluesky, an effort to build a new kind of Twitter that originally began with the company. But the most promising alternative might be about to launch. Meta is launching Threads this week, an app linked to Instagram that aims to allow people to post text updates that might have the might to actually take over from Twitter. What is happening to TweetDeck? TweetDeck also went down along with Twitter over the weekend. It’s unclear how the two are connected, though they happened at the same time. Now Twitter has announced that TweetDeck is coming back. But it comes with some changes, and the most notable of them is that people will have to pay for Twitter Blue to get access to it. Read More Twitter to stop TweetDeck access for unverified users Meta’s Twitter alternative Threads to be launched this week How Elon Musk finally broke Twitter – and why it might just be the start Twitter rival Bluesky halts sign-ups after huge surge in demand Twitter is breaking more and more Twitter rival sees huge increase in users as Elon Musk ‘destroys his site’

Portugal hired Ernst & Young and Banco Finantia SA to carry out valuations of TAP SA as part

The European Union is set to announce this week its withdrawal from the controversial Energy Charter Treaty, after

Minister Catherine Martin announces an independent, root and branch examination of broadcaster RTÉ.

An Eritrean asylum seeker angry with officials murdered a girl and wounded her friend.

Odey Asset Management has lifted the suspension of a fund managed by James Hanbury, signaling its growing confidence

Idris Elba has confessed he doesn't know who Colin the Caterpillar is, and has never had the pleasure of indulging in one at a birthday party. Gasp. The actor, who follows an all-vegan diet and has a personal chef on the road with him, landed himself in hot water when he was asked about the sweet treat during a new interview, and whether he'd had one at his own birthday. "Can I ask you a question. Who is Colin the Caterpillar? Is that bad?", he said, before quipping: "If you have to Google him then I don’t know who he is." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

French club Monaco has hired Adi Hütter as its new coach on a two-year contract

Robert F Kennedy Jr was left grasping for answers after being confronted with a lengthy list of his conspiracy theories in a new interview. The Democratic presidential candidate, 69, sat last week for a wide-ranging interview with Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller from Reason, which bills itself as the nation’s leading libertarian magazine. Mr Kennedy told the publication he had “always been aligned with libertarians on most issues”, and that he would consider appointing Tulsi Gabbard as his secretary of state. Towards the end of the hour-long interview, Mr Gillespie, Reason’s editor-at-large, noted that RFK Jr routinely trafficked in conspiracies and displayed a “kind of conspiracist mindset where almost everything that we take for granted is bad”. Mr Gillespie went on to list the numerous conspiracies that RFK Jr has peddled, including his anti-vaccine stance and claims that 5G and Wi-Fi are “controlling our mind”, that AIDs is not caused by HIV, that boys are becoming transgender due to chemicals in the drinking water, and that his cousin Michael Skakel was not guilty of a murder he had been convicted of. “It kind of goes on and on,” Mr Gillespie says. “How do you answer people who say, you know, like this is the sign of somebody whose thinking is fundamentally conspiracy-minded rather than kind of dealing with brute reality?” Mr Kennedy responded that the questions were “very unfair”. “You made a series of characterisations of my beliefs that you read in the newspapers. Many of which are just wrong.” When pushed, Mr Kennedy offered to go through each one individually and challenged the interviewers to “show me where I get it wrong.” Mr Gillespie then brought up a now-retracted article published by Rolling Stone and Slate in 2005 which made scientifically disproven claims linking childhood vaccines to autism. Mr Kennedy falsely insisted that he had not been shown “one mistake” in the articles. Mr Kennedy, who is running a longshot candidacy to be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024, has been repeatedly called out by the scientific community for spreading dangerous misinformation about vaccines. Last month, former Salon editor Joan Walsh said publishing Mr Kennedy’s article was the “worst mistake of my career” and that she should have been fired for it. The nephew of John F Kennedy and son of Robert F Kennedy recently appeared on the controversial Joe Rogan podcast where he continued to spread baseless claims about vaccines. The pair challenged Dr Petez Hotez, a noted medical expert and virologist, to debate the science behind vaccines. Dr Hotez declined, saying he’d be happy to speak with Rogan but didn’t want to create a talk show-style spectacle. “I’ve offered to come and talk to Joe Rogan again, and have that discussion with him, but not to turn it into the Jerry Springer with having RFK Jr on,” he told MSNBC. Read More Trump news – live: Truth Social SPAC agrees to SEC settlement as Trump’s past comments on indictment resurface Editor apologises for publishing RFK Jr anti-vaxx screed: ‘I should have been fired’ Scientist pressured by Musk and Rogan to debate RFK Jr over anti-vaccine misinformation says he won’t be part of ‘Jerry Springer’ show