Connect with us

Published

on

Alphabetannounced its first-ever dividend on Thursday and a $70 billion stock buyback, cheering investors who sent the stock surging nearly 16% after the bell.

The Google parent is returning capital while spending billions of dollars on data centers to catch up with rivals on generative artificial intelligence. The dividend will be 20 cents per share.

Just three months ago, Alphabet’s Big Tech rival, Meta Platforms, announced its own first-ever dividend, a move that lifted the social media company’s stock market value by $196 billion the following day. Amazon remains the lone holdout among Big Tech firms not offering a dividend.

Alphabet beat expectations for the quarter in sales, profit and advertising – metrics that are all closely watched.

“Alphabet’s announced dividend payouts and buybacks on top of the solid earnings beat are not only a breath of fresh air for the tech market as a whole, but also a very intelligent strategy for the search engine giant going into a tough time of the year,” said Thomas Monteiro, senior analyst at Investing.com.

Alphabet’s after-hours share surge of nearly 16% following the report increased its stock market value by about $300 billion to over $2 trillion.

In a call to discuss results, CEO Sundar Pichai touted Google’s AI offerings as a boon to its core search results. “We are encouraged that we are seeing an increase in search usage among people who are using the AI overviews,” he said.

Revenue was $80.54 billion for the quarter ended March 31, compared with estimates of $78.59 billion, according to LSEG data.

The search firm’s beat on first-quarter revenue was powered by rising demand for its cloud services on the back of increasing adoption of artificial intelligence and steady advertising spending.

Google reported advertising sales rose 13% in the quarter to $61.7 billion. That compares with the average estimate of $60.2 billion, according to LSEG data.

Alphabet is coming off a fourth quarter in which ad sales missed the mark, sending shares tumbling, amid rising competition from Amazon, Facebook and new entrants like TikTok. The latter faces an uncertain future after President Biden signed a bill that would ban the popular app if it is not sold within the next nine to 12 months.

Meanwhile, Google Cloud revenue grew 28% in the first quarter, boosted by a boom in generative AI tools that rely on cloud services to deliver the technology to customers.

Alphabet’s capital expenditures were $12 billion, a 91% rise from a year prior, a figure Gabelli Funds portfolio manager Hanna Howard called “higher than anticipated.”

Still, CFO Ruth Porat said on the call with analysts that she expects such expenditures to be at that level or higher throughout the remainder of the year, as the company spends to build artificial-intelligence offerings.

Despite the surge in capital expenditures, Porat said operating margin in 2024 would be higher than last year, without elaborating.

Google’s cloud services are attractive for venture capital-backed startups developing generative AI technologies due to their pricing and ease of integration with other tools, investors and experts have previously said.

Google has touted its AI-powered chatbot, Gemini, as a panacea for automation, from coding to document creation. The software was widely criticized, however, after it was found to generate historically inaccurate images, including of former US leaders and World War Two-era German soldiers.

Google has said it is aware of the issues and is working to address them.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

US election: The celebrities backing Donald Trump or Kamala Harris

Published

on

By

US election: The celebrities backing Donald Trump or Kamala Harris

Can the influence of celebrities sway voters when it comes to the US election?

With many of the biggest music and movie stars in the world backing her, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris will certainly be hoping so.

Democrats have long enjoyed a celebrity advantage, which has only grown during Republican Donald Trump‘s rise in politics. However, as Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign showed, star power is not always enough.

According to a recent YouGov poll, about one in 10 Americans (11%) say a celebrity has ever caused them to reconsider their stance on a political issue, while 7% say they have supported a political candidate because of a celebrity endorsement.

As the 2024 US presidential election approaches, here are the stars backing each of the two candidates – starting with Ms Harris.

The Avengers

In a clip shared by Hulk star Mark Ruffalo on social media, the Avengers assembled to show their support for Ms Harris.

Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson, Captain America star Chris Evans, and Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr all feature in the video, along with Don Cheadle and British star Paul Bettany.

Ruffalo cited climate change, education and women’s reproductive rights among the issues voters should consider.

“We’re back,” he captioned the post. “Let’s #AssembleForDemocracy. In the #ElectionEndgame, every vote counts.”

Taylor Swift

MTV Video Music Awards 2024 - Red Carpet ** STORY AVAILABLE, CONTACT SUPPLIER** Featuring: Taylor Swift Where: New York, New York, United States When: 11 Sep 2024 Credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com  (Cover Images via AP Images)
Image:
Pic: Janet Mayer/ INSTARimages/ Cover Images/ AP 2024

The pop mega star confirmed her support for Ms Harris in September, posting a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button – a reference to Mr Trump’s running mate JD Vance’s “childless cat lady” comments.

Swift told her 283 million followers: “I’m voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”

In response, Mr Trump said Swift would “probably pay a price” for her comments.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Former California Governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives for a ceremony to receive a honorary doctorate by the Hertie School, a university of governance, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Image:
Pic: AP

The action movie star is a former Republican governor of California.

However, he has said he is voting for the Democrats this time, saying: “I will always be an American before I am a Republican.”

In a lengthy post on social media, Schwarzenegger said he did not “like either party right now” and that he does not “really do endorsements”, but felt he had to speak out.

He went on to harshly criticise Mr Trump for rejecting the results of the 2020 presidential vote, saying this was as “un-American as it gets”.

He ended by saying the country needs to “close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger.”

Jennifer Lopez

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘You can’t spell American without Rican’

The actress and singer spoke out during a Democratic rally in Las Vegas, criticising comments made during a Trump rally about Puerto Rico being a “floating island of garbage”.

“You can’t even spell American without Rican,” she responded.

Lopez told supporters she was “an American woman” and a “proud daughter and son of Puerto Rico”.

Madonna

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Pop royalty Madonna revealed she returned home to the US following a trip to Paris to vote for Ms Harris.

Alongside a selection of photos of her time in the French capital, the singer, 66, posted on social media: “Paris was so fun! It was hard to leave, but I had to come home to VOTE Kamala Harris for president!!!!”

Beyonce

Beyoncé hugged Kamala Harris after welcoming her to the stage. Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Beyonce appeared at a Democratic rally in Houston, Texas, in October, telling voters: “We need to sing a new song.”

The star said she was not attending the event as a celebrity, but was there “as a mother”.

She added: “A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.”

Charli XCX

Charli XCX poses on the red carpet of the annual Fashion Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Britain, December 4, 2023. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Earlier in the year, Ms Harris embraced the social media trend of a “brat summer”, inspired by British pop star Charli XCX‘s latest album, Brat.

It came after the singer-songwriter, whose real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison, wrote in a post on X: “kamala IS brat”.

She later told New York Magazine: “To be on the right side of democracy, the right side of women’s rights, is hugely important to me… I’m happy to help to prevent democracy from failing forever.”

Brat has now been named word of the year by Collins, which said it inspired a lifestyle “characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude”.

Bruce Springsteen

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Springsteen calls Trump a ‘tyrant’

Rock icon Bruce Springsteen is also among the stars who have appeared at Democratic rallies.

Performing on stage in Clarkston, Georgia, he used time between his numbers to argue Ms Harris will protect democracy and fight for women’s reproductive rights.

“He does not understand this country, its history or what it means to be American,” Springsteen said of Mr Trump.

Eminem

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Obama raps Eminem

The rapper attended a rally in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan, where he introduced Barack Obama.

The former president joked he had “noticed my palms are sweaty” before rapping several lines from the Grammy award-winning artist’s hit song Lose Yourself.

Eminem told the crowd Ms Harris “supports a future for this country where these freedoms and many others will be protected and upheld”.

Republican presidential nominee and former US.President Donald Trump looks on as Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris' face appears as a video plays on a screen, during a rally at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Billie Eilish, Jennifer Aniston, Samuel L Jackson, Spike Lee and Cher are also among the stars who have endorsed Ms Harris.

Mr Trump’s famous backers might not be as starry, but he has several who hold a deep appeal with his core base of voters.

Here are some of the big names who are supporting the former president.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk speaks at Madison Square Garden in New York. Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

The tech billionaire has donated $75m (£58m) to a campaign group he set up to support Mr Trump’s presidential bid.

Musk previously supported the Democrats but has become a vocal backer of Mr Trump in recent months, and joined the Republican candidate on stage at a rally in Pennsylvania.

At the event, Musk, who runs Tesla and SpaceX, jumped around on the stage and described the election as a “must-win situation”.

Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan, professional entertainer and wrestler, gestures during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, in New York, U.S., October 27, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Image:
Pic: Reuters


The wrestling star is among the celebrities publicly endorsing Mr Trump, appearing at the Republican National Convention in the summer and at a rally in New York last month.

He told “Trumpamaniacs” at Madison Square Garden that he had won heavyweight titles and body-slammed “giants” there, but the energy at the rally was “something like I’ve never felt”, and “the most powerful force in the universe”.

The retired wrestler, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea, has shared several photographs of himself and Mr Trump on social media.

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson poses at a special screening of the film "Monster Summer," Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Image:
Pic: AP

Hollywood star Mel Gibson will reportedly be voting for Mr Trump.

According to US entertainment site TMZ, when asked about the election, the actor replied: “I don’t think it’s going to surprise anyone who I’ll vote for.”

He said voting for Mr Trump would be “a pretty good guess”, and reportedly added: “I know what it’ll be like if we let her in and that ain’t good. Miserable track record – appalling track record. No policies to speak of. And she’s got the IQ of a fence post.”

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid speaks at a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Calhoun Ranch, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Coachella, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Image:
Pic: AP

The US actor, known for films including The Parent Trap and The Day After Tomorrow, gave a speech at a Trump rally in Coachella, California, in October.

“It’s time to pick a side,” he told the crowd. “Are we gonna be a nation that stands for the constitution? Or for Tik-Tok?

“Are we gonna be a nation of law and order? Or wide open borders?”

Jon Voight

Jon Voight attends the Vanity Fair Oscar party in Beverly Hills during the 92nd Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok
Image:
Pic: Reuters


Veteran actor Jon Voight, who is Angelina Jolie’s father, has long been a supporter of Mr Trump.

In a video shared on social media, he told his followers: “We’re now in a time of the darkest plague ever. And our chance, our only chance, is this November.”

Voight accused Hollywood peers supporting Ms Harris of “putting out videos trying to brainwash the American people to do the most dangerous vote ever”.

Jake Paul

Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul press conference ** STORY AVAILABLE, CONTACT SUPPLIER** Featuring: Jake Paul Where: New York, New York, United States When: 19 Aug 2024 Credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com  (Cover Images via AP Images)
Image:
Pic: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages/ Cover Images/ AP

YouTuber and professional boxer Jake Paul has also shared a video message endorsing Mr Trump.

He captioned the clip, “Who I’m supporting for president and why you should too…” but began by saying he had been “nervous, scared” to make it because of potential repercussions for his career.

Encouraging his followers to do their own research and not just listen to “your favourite pop star”, he said he had rescinded his right to vote after moving to Puerto Rico for his boxing career – but that he wanted to present his millions of followers “with proper facts, numbers and data to encourage them to vote in the proper direction to quite literally save America”.

Things “don’t feel right” in the US at the moment, he said, which shows “that we are more divided than ever”. He added: “What is the problem? Democrats have been in power for 12 of the last 16 years, so if we aren’t happy… then who is to blame?”

Kelsey Grammar

Kelsey Grammer arrives at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Image:
Pic: AP

The Frasier star – who has reportedly spoken of his support for Mr Trump in the past – was asked about being a Republican in Hollywood in an interview with the New York Times in September.

“For me to be anything else would be a problem,” he replied. “I don’t go along with a lot of what is preached in Hollywood. I go along with what is preached in Christianity. I go along with do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

“And I believe in all people: I believe in their desires and their lives and their worth. I want to make shows about that. I don’t want to hate anybody.”

Kid Rock

Kid Rock speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Image:
Pic: AP

The musician has appeared at several Trump rallies and has been vocal in his support for the Republican presidential candidate on social media.

In a recent video, he responded to Eminem’s support for Ms Harris, saying he had been friends with the rapper for years but he does not agree with his politics.

He credited both Eminem and “people like Taylor Swift for standing up and not being afraid to be vocal”, but said his stance is “unequivocally MAGA, because I know in my heart, mind, body and soul that President Trump will make America great again”.

Continue Reading

UK

Ex-soldier Daniel Khalife tells court it was a ‘foolish idea’ to have someone with his ‘skillset’ in prison

Published

on

By

Ex-soldier Daniel Khalife tells court it was a 'foolish idea' to have someone with his 'skillset' in prison

A former soldier has told a jury his escape from Wandsworth prison to avoid being held with sex offenders and terrorists showed his “skillset”.

Daniel Khalife, 23, who was being held accused of passing secrets to Iran said he was “never a real spy” but planned a fake defection to the state following his arrest after watching American television show Homeland.

He said he wanted to be moved to a high-security unit because he was getting unwanted attention from the sex offenders on the vulnerable prisoners wing and feared a move to Belmarsh prison because, as a British soldier, terrorists wanted to kill him.

Khalife said he first wanted to “make a show” of escaping, acting suspiciously and covering himself in soot from a food delivery lorry on 21 August last year, while he was working in the prison kitchen.

He was spotted and reported to security but was “pretty shocked” when nothing happened so decided to take the “full measure,” he told the jury.

Undated handout photo of sling under the truck used in the prison escape of Daniel Khalife, which was shown to a jury at the Old Bailey, London, during his trial. Khalife, 23, is alleged to have fled his Army barracks in January 2023 when he realised he would face criminal charges over allegations he passed classified information on to the Middle Eastern country's intelligence service. Later, while on remand, he is alleged to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth in September 2023 by tying himself to the underside of a food delivery truck using bedsheets. Issue date: Wednesday October 23, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Army. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire ..NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Image:
A makeshift sling. Pic: Met Police

Talking about his escape for the first time at his Woolwich Crown Court trial, Khalife told how he fashioned a makeshift sling from kitchen trousers and carabiners used by inmates to keep their possessions safe from rats.

He attached it to the Bidfood lorry on 1 September last year, to see if it would be spotted by officers at Wandsworth or other prisons on the delivery route.

“I put the two carabiners and the makeshift rope underneath the lorry,” he said.

“When I had made the decision to actually leave the prison I was going to do it properly so I tested the security not just in Wandsworth

“Strangely, over the coming days, I could see it but it wasn’t spotted in Wandsworth or any other prison.”

Then on the morning of 6 September, Khalife said he concealed himself underneath the lorry, resting his back on the sling as the lorry was searched.

“They did normal checks around with torches but they didn’t find me. After that, a governor came to the tunnel and said, ‘Have you searched the vehicle?’

“I was facing upwards. There was action around the lorry.”

Daniel Khalife
Image:
Daniel Khalife joined the Army aged 16

He said that when the vehicle stopped he “came out underneath the lorry and stayed in the prone position” until the lorry moved off.

Khalife, who joined the Army aged 16 and took up a post with the Royal Signals, based in Beacons barracks, Staffordshire, said he made no attempt to leave the country and had no intention to “run away” from the charges he was facing.

He was arrested three days later on the footpath of the Grand Union Canal in Northolt, west London, after a nationwide manhunt.

Asked why he had not handed himself in after his escape, Khalife said: “I was finally demonstrating what a foolish idea it was to have someone of my skillset in prison. What use was that to anyone?”

“I accept that I left the prison and didn’t have any permission to do so,” he said. “I accept absolutely that I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

Daniel Abed Khalife
Image:
Daniel Khalife

Inspired by Homeland

The court has heard Khalife initiated contact with Iranian intelligence officers after he was told he could not pass developed vetting because his mother was born in Iran.

Khalife told MI5 he wanted to be a “double agent” and he said in court he thought he would be “congratulated” but described his arrest as like a “punch in the face”.

Read more from Sky News:
Teenager who murdered 15-year-old ex-girlfriend jailed for life
Public schoolboy guilty of hammer attack named for first time

Wearing a blue checked shirt and chinos, he said police were “blinded at the prospect of a successful prosecution” but he did not think being in prison would be in “the public interest”.

“I didn’t do anything that harmed our national security. I wanted to put myself in a position where I could help my country,” he said.

“I believed I could continue my work actually located in the state – the state being Iran.”

Khalife said he took inspiration from watching Homeland, starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, in which Americans and terrorists go undercover, on Netflix.

“I had seen one of the characters in the programme had actually falsely defected to a particular country and utilised that position to further the national security interests of that character’s country,” he said.

“The country in question, Iran, thought it was real. She did it to further the interests of her own country.”

Khalife told jurors he is a “patriot”, adding: “I do love my country. All I wanted to do was help. I never wanted to do any harm, I never did do any harm.”

He added: “It is tragic it has come to this and I would do anything to go back to my career.”

Khalife, from Kingston, southwest London, denies a charge of committing an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state under the Official Secrets Act between 1 May 2019 and 6 January 2022.

He has also pleaded not guilty to a charge under the Terrorism Act of eliciting information about Armed Forces personnel on 2 August 2021, perpetrating a bomb hoax on or before 2 January 2023 and escaping from prison on 6 September last year.

The trial continues.

Continue Reading

UK

Thomas Wei Huang: Public schoolboy who attacked sleeping students with hammers named for first time

Published

on

By

Thomas Wei Huang: Public schoolboy who attacked sleeping students with hammers named for first time

A public schoolboy who claimed he was sleepwalking when he attacked two students and a teacher with hammers can now be named.

It comes after a judge lifted an order preventing the identification of 17-year-old international student, Thomas Wei Huang.

Last week, he was detained for life with a minimum term of 12 years after he was found guilty of three charges of attempted murder in June following a 10-week trial.

Blundell's school, Tiverton, Devon
Image:
Blundell’s school, Tiverton, Devon

Blundell's school, Tiverton, Devon
Image:
Police at the school after the attack

Huang, who turns 18 in January, was dressed only in his boxer shorts when he repeatedly hit his dormmates as they slept in one of the boarding houses at the co-ed Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon, in June last year.

Both boys suffered skull fractures, as well as injuries to their ribs, spleen, a punctured lung and internal bleeding. He then attacked a teacher who attempted to intervene.

They had been asleep in cabin-style beds when Huang climbed up and attacked them shortly before 1am on 9 June last year.

Maths teacher Henry Roffe-Silvester told Exeter Crown Court he was asleep in his own quarters when he was awoken by noises coming from the boarding house and went to investigate.

He said he saw a silhouetted figure standing in front of him in the room who then turned and repeatedly hit him over the head with a hammer.

“Physically I stumbled backwards into the corridor. There was a second blow – I can’t remember if it was before I stumbled back – that’s a little bit hazy for me,” said Mr Roffe-Silvester, who suffered six blows to the head.

Another student heard Mr Roffe-Silvester shouting and swearing as he fled the bedroom and dialled 999 – believing there was an intruder.

The two boys were discovered in their beds a few minutes later.

Undated general view of Blundell's School, Tiverton, Devon. A 16-year-old boy has been arrested after two students sustained multiple serious injuries at the private school. Devon and Cornwall Police were called to the site of the school, following reports of a serious assault at about 1am on Friday. Issue date: Friday June 9, 2023.
Image:
Blundell’s School, Tiverton, Devon. Pic: PA

Huang, from Malaysia, who was 16 at the time, admitted carrying out the attacks but said he was sleepwalking. He denied three charges of attempted murder on the basis he was not guilty by reason of insanity.

But the court was told he had an obsession with the killing of children and hammers, which he said he kept by his bed for “protection” from the “zombie apocalypse”.

Prosecutors said the boy armed himself with three claw hammers and waited for the two boys to be asleep before attacking them.

At his sentencing hearing last month, judge Mrs Justice Cutts said experts could not say how long he would pose a risk to the public as she jailed him for life with a minimum term of 12 years.

“You planned your offences and used hammers you had bought as weapons,” she told Huang, adding that, as an “intelligent boy”, he “knew full well if you hit the boys multiple times with the hammers they would die”.

She told him there was a significant risk he could repeat his attack and therefore he posed “a high level of danger to the public because of the nature of your offences”.

In evidence, Huang told the jury he wanted to come to England to study in a boarding school and was “excited” to do so.

Asked if he was happy at the school, he replied: “Yes I was. I liked my friends, my teachers and the academic aspect of it. I didn’t like the sports and the food at the school.”

He described life at the boarding school, including pupils sharing takeaways and tubs of sweets.

The court heard Huang’s brother, who is two years older than him, also went to Blundell’s.

Huang can be named after a court official confirmed his lawyers would not be appealing the judge’s earlier decision to lift the reporting restriction, which was made at the sentencing hearing following an application by the PA news agency.

Continue Reading

Trending