Man accused in the burning death of a woman on a New York subway appears in courtMore innocent childhood games are about to take a sinister turn as "Squid Game" . The second season, which debuts this week, will see Gi-hun, or Player 456, reentering the deadly game in which unwitting Korean citizens are forced to gamble with their lives for a big cash prize. This time, though, Gi-hun has a plan: . Netflix for the uber-popular , which inspired a late last year. And more "Squid Game" is on the way, as creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had confirmed that a is expected to be released in 2025. Here's what to know about the second season of "Squid Game" and how to watch all seven episodes. Season 2 of "Squid Game" releases Thursday, Dec. 26. Both seasons of "Squid Game," as well as its reality competition counterpart, " ," stream exclusively on Netflix. begin at $6.99 a month, which includes ads. Cost for a Netflix subscription runs as high as $22.99, which is the platform's premium ad-free tier that includes unlimited movies and shows streaming in 4K ultra high-definition. returns as Gi-hun after for the role in 2022, becoming the first Asian actor to win the lead actor in a drama series award. According to , other returning cast members for Season 2 include: as Detective Hwang Jun-ho as the Front Man as the Recruiter New cast members for Season 2 include:11 super game 。

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In celebration of the announcement of St. Maarten's first elevated sports complex, featuring two pickleball courts, two tennis courts and a padel court, Vie L'Ven launches a limited-edition pickleball paddle with Helios, inspired by the island's vibrant culture. TORONTO , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vie L'Ven Resort & Residences —a luxurious 280-room resort and residences that promises to redefine island living on the shores of Indigo Bay, St. Maarten has revealed an exciting new addition to its sports and activities offerings: the uniquely designed multi-sports court experience offering panoramic views of Indigo Bay and untouched natural reserves. The hotel and residences slated for opening in 2028, will feature two pickleball courts, two tennis courts, and a padel court that are set to transform the concept of sports facilities in the Caribbean . To celebrate the reveal, Vie L'Ven has partnered with Helios, the premium pickleball paddle brand, to create a bespoke, limited-edition pickleball paddle. The custom design paddles exclusive to Vie L'Ven, inspired by the vibrant culture and dynamic energy of St. Maarten , are crafted with carbon surface technology. The paddles are available in a limited quantity for purchase at the Vie L'Ven presentation gallery or included with a purchase of a unit. Explore the renderings and image of the custom paddle . Beyond its new courts, Vie L'Ven's residences are available with an array of spacious one to four-bedroom layouts, spanning from approximately 620 to over 2,003 square feet (58 to over 186 square meters) and lock-off options expanding up to 1,895 square feet (176 square meters). The property features the pinnacle of luxury amenities including a beach club with reserved cabanas and personalized butler service, a dedicated Les Clefs d'Or concierge team, three distinct pools including an adults-only offerings,on-beach water sports, an on-property private yacht dock, 30,000 square foot destination spa, children's playroom and childcare services and a nature reserve. Leading the culinary vision at Vie L'Ven and reinforcing its dedication to exceptional gastronomy, Chef Alain Ducasse—celebrated for his remarkable twenty-one Michelin stars and prestigious three-star rating—will introduce his first dining concept in the Caribbean . Drawing from the island's diverse cultural heritage and vibrant flavors, Chef Ducasse's innovative menu will be inspired by St. Maarten's natural bounty. His signature restaurant and bar will serve as the centerpiece, complemented by two additional distinct dining experiences on the property. Vie L'Ven is the vision of Altree Developments , a leader in the international real estate landscape, rooted in a 70-year multi-generational family legacy in the development industry. Committed to redefining Caribbean luxury, the concept for Vie L'Ven has been brought to life by renowned partners Studio Munge , HKS Architects and Leading Hotels of The World , all of who have been recognized globally for their dedication to creating world-class properties. Vie L'Ven's residences, with sales being led by St. Maarten Sotheby's International Realty , are in high demand. With limited availability remaining, prices have increased and are now in the $900 ,000s (USD) with additional upward price adjustments anticipated. As an added incentive, purchase a suite between December 4th, 2024 , and January 15th, 2025 , and enjoy one year free of Homeowners Association (HOA) fees, along with $10,000 in Resort Credits* for sumptuous dining and rejuvenating spa treatments. Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. Illustrations are Artist's Concept. E & O.E. *Incentives are limited time only and subject to select suites. Incentives are subject to change without notice. See a Sales Representative for further details. Explore a virtual tour of the Orient Suite and the Rouge Suites to envision your oasis at Vie L'Ven. Be the first to receive the latest updates by registering at vielven.com . For sales inquiries contact +1-721-544-1545 or visit vielven.com or the presentation gallery on Indigo Bay Boulevard in Indigo Bay, St. Maarten . About Altree Developments Altree Developments is a leader in the international real estate landscape, rooted in a 70-year multi-generational family legacy in the development industry. Under the visionary leadership of Zev Mandelbaum , Altree is redefining urban living by transforming strategic residential and commercial sites into leading destinations. With an admirable portfolio that includes ultra-luxury condominiums and expansive master-planned communities, Altree's influence stretches across some of the most coveted addresses in Canada , America, and now, St. Maarten . Driven by an unwavering commitment to innovation and luxury, Altree's projects are designed to stand the test of time, offering unparalleled value, and shaping the future of urban living. For more information, visit altreedevelopments.com . MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley Goldstein ashleyg@alabgroup.com 917.890.7940 Ashley Orfus Ashley@alabgroup.com 917.232.7349 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-st-maartens-new-sports-landmark-vie-lvens-multi-court-with-panoramic-views-of-indigo-bay-and-limited-edition-pickleball-paddle-302337595.html SOURCE Vie L'VenThe Liberal candidate in a federal byelection in British Columbia says she is applying for Métis membership after a local group questioned her claims of Indigenous identity. Madison Fleischer says in a written statement that she self-identifies as Métis based on what she knows about her great-grandmother's heritage and is "collecting the necessary documentation to go through the application process" for citizenship with B.C.'s Métis Nation. In the meantime, Fleischer, who is the candidate in the Dec. 16 byelection in Cloverdale-Langley City, says she has removed "Métis" from her social media profile descriptions to ensure there is "no confusion" about her Indigenous status. Her response comes after the Waceya Métis Society — which describes itself as a chartered community representing Métis people in the Langley and White Rock regions of B.C.'s Lower Mainland — said in a release that it "wishes to distance itself from Madison’s claims of Métis identity." The society says it met with Fleischer over the weekend to discuss her claims of Métis identity but was "disappointed that she could not provide any evidence to support her Métis heritage." The attention on Fleischer comes after Edmonton Centre Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault left cabinet last week amid questions about his shifting claims of Indigenous heritage and his business dealings. In her statement, Fleischer says she has "always been vocal about not yet holding Métis Nation British Columbia citizenship." The Waceya Métis Society says it has asked Fleischer to "properly research and verify her Indigenous heritage before making any further public assertions." "In this meeting, Madison was unable to substantiate her claims with any documentation or historical connections to Métis communities," the society says about their Nov. 23 meeting with Fleischer. "The integrity of Métis identity is not to be taken lightly, especially in public office, where the representation of our community must be accurate, respectful, and legitimate." Cloverdale-Langley City was previously held by Liberal John Aldag, who resigned to run for MLA with the B.C. New Democrats. Aldag was defeated by B.C. Conservative candidate Harman Bhangu in the Langley-Abbotsford seat in the Oct. 19 provincial election. Fleischer, whose Liberal party biography calls her a small-business owner who operates a public relations firm in Langley, is going up against candidates including federal Conservative Tamara Jansen, who held the seat from 2019 to 2021 before losing a close race to Aldag. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's government on Tuesday said it had lifted a ban on access to WhatsApp and Google Play after more than two years, the official IRNA news agency reported. The report said the country’s Supreme Council of Cyber Space made the decision in a meeting led by reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has vowed to remove restrictions on social media. Iran’s telecommunication minister Sattar Heshemi in a post on X called the decision a “first step” in removing restrictions and said “the path will continue" — indicating the possibility of unblocking other services. Many people reached by The Associated Press across the capital, Tehran, and other cities said they had access to the services on computers but not yet on mobile phones. WhatsApp has been the third most popular messaging platform in Iran after Instagram and Telegram. The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was put in place in 2022 during mass protests against the government over the death of a woman held by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating the strictly enforced dress code. The protests calmed in 2023 after a crackdown by police and security forces that led to the death of hundreds of people and the imprisonment of thousands. Iran has blocked access to various social media platforms over the years but many people in the country use proxies and VPNs to access them. The Associated Press

How close are we to true driverless vehicles being made available to consumers? The big buzz subject in the automotive world from a decade ago may have slowed; yet there continue to be significant developments in this area. With current developments, automation can vary from level 0 to level 5 within the automotive industry, from sole reliance on driver control, all the way to completely driverless vehicles. There is also considerable investment. The latest report “ Roboshuttles and Autonomous Buses 2024-2044 ” predicts that the global sales revenue of roboshuttles and autonomous buses is to exceed US$67 billion by 2044. The report predicts that roboshuttles and autonomous buses will likely strive for level 5 operation as a long-term goal, although at present they are currently aiming for level 4, where driverless operation can take place within specific areas. Unlike most buses, roboshuttles are designed to be small, with not-too-large capacities, making them suitable to deploy in higher numbers within small areas. Operating under level 4 driving conditions, these vehicles are driverless and efficient, accommodating up to 22 passengers. Despite being smaller than a minibus, the extra room allowed by having no driver means their 4–6-meter length can hold a greater capacity. Commercialization, however, is proving tricky for roboshuttles, with many being deployed on trial but struggling to go any further towards mainstream acceptance. Consequently, IDTechEx reports a decline in the number of players from over 25 to just 12 since 2020, with most companies still in the early stages of development in 2023. Autonomous buses – mini, midi, and city Mini, midi, and city buses are among the various types of autonomous buses. These are higher capacity of buses compared to roboshuttles, at around 100 passengers per city bus. The large number of investments required for autonomous buses to become mainstream is indicated by the limited number of players within the market. The regulatory challenges faced by companies, alongside the increased challenges and slow progress of level 4 systems in larger buses, are also factors slowing down commercialization. There are some successes, such as the autonomous night bus project in South Korea, where a shortage of taxis might otherwise cause transportation concerns, again highlighting a real-world application for these buses. Going forwards, the development of autonomous buses and roboshuttles is likely to continue somewhat slowly due to a lack of funding and regulatory challenges. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.Human thought crawls at 10 bits per second, Caltech study finds

Global technology company, Huawei, has unveiled its Mobile Money solution, saying it provides accessible services to expand customer and enterprise bases, and serve underbanked, unbanked, and small-to-medium enterprises. This was disclosed during a presentation at the 4th edition of Zenith Bank Tech Fair – an annual gathering to showcase leading technological innovations that cut across artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, risk management, compliance and financial intelligence. In his presentation at the fair, Huawei’s Chief Solutions Architect, Qiu Yao, demonstrated how current financial institutions battle challenges such as providing a one-stop financial platform to manage transactions, accelerating revenue growth, as well as reducing competition with FinTechs in the industry. Hence, the Huawei Mobile Money solution is the Super app, which consolidates all mini-apps and features into a single application to better improve user experience. “There is also no limit on the number of apps to be hosted on it as it is cloud-hosted, hence, scalable.” In a separate presentation, Huawei explained the trends in the banking industry, which gave rise to the Bank 4.0 Trend. To prepare a better environment for enterprises to provide solutions, Huawei focused on its IT offerings that allow for non-stop banking with “4 Zeros” feature namely – Zero-Downtime through high availability, Zero-wait to improve customer experience, Zero Trust to ensure end-to-end network security, and Zero Touch to improve business operations. Meanwhile, one of the IT offerings by Huawei includes the Digital Map- a unique self-built solution to enable the network to transform management operations from autonomous to intelligent for non-stop banking. Similarly, the firm, one of the leading providers of ICT network infrastructure, is committed to bringing digital innovations to every home, person, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.Nova Scotia Liberals saw support crumble after campaign linking them to Trudeau

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Saudi Commerce Minister Heads Delegation to Discuss Emerging Trends in Digital Trade Law in Austria(The Center Square) – After an Iranian national was arrested on Monday in a Boston suburb for his alleged ties to a terrorist attack that killed three U.S. service members, the town's leaders unanimously voted to pass a sanctuary city ordinance. On Monday, Iranian-born Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, a resident of Natick, Mass., was charged in federal court in Boston "with conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components from the United States to Iran in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws," The Center Square reported. Sadeghi and others allegedly conspired to evade U.S. export control and sanctions laws by procuring goods, services, and technology from American companies and exporting them to an Iranian-based company that contracts with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization. The company allegedly manufactured the drones used by the IRGC that killed U.S. soldiers stationed in Jordan in January. Sadeghi faces up to 20 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy that goes back nearly 10 years , according to the complaint . His arrest occurred after an unprecedented number of Iranian and special interest aliens were apprehended after illegally entering the U.S., The Center Square reported . It also occurred after Islamic terrorist incidents increased under President Joe Biden and after he extended a national emergency regarding Iran last month. The U.S. has been in a perpetual state of national emergency related to Iran since Nov. 14, 1979, The Center Square reported . Forty-eight hours after Sadeghi's arrest , on Wednesday night, Natick's Select Board members unanimously passed a sanctuary city policy, 5-0. It prohibits taxpayer-funded town employees from inquiring about or collecting information about residents' citizenship status, among other provisions. Natick joined Boston, Somerville, Northampton, Amherst Cambridge, Concord, Lawrence and Newton in adopting so-called sanctuary city policies ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's stated mass deportation policy. The policy is being implemented in response to more than 14 million illegal border crossers being reported under the Biden administration as crime and national security threat escalated, The Center Square reported. Natick's actions followed the all-Democratic Boston City Council unanimously voting to reaffirm the Boston Trust Act, which prohibits Boston Police Department officers from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with some exceptions. It also comes after Boston's mayor said the city wasn't planning on cooperating with ICE, The Center Square reported. Massachusetts' sanctuary policies work against law enforcement tasked with protecting residents, Todd Lyons, acting assistant director of field operations for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in New England, argues. Elected officials "preaching their sanctuary city status are making it easier for those who commit sex crimes and fentanyl dealers. We need cities and towns to work with us to keep these criminals out of neighborhoods. "We focus on the worst of the worst and all the political rhetoric is not helping," he told the Boston Herald. Democratic leaders describing Massachusetts "as a sanctuary to the international community and that they won't cooperate with federal authorities, sends a dangerous signal to bad actors around the world," the chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, Amy Carnevale, said , "It tells them that Massachusetts is a safe haven where they can evade prosecution from the United States federal government." Last year, Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll urged residents to house illegal border crossers, saying, " step up if you're willing to have an additional family be part of your family." One year later, the state converted an empty former prison to house them, resulting in local outrage, The Center Square reported . Carnevale said it was time for Driscoll to "stand with the people of Massachusetts and declare that our state will no longer serve as a sanctuary for criminals whether they're here legally or illegally. For the safety and security of our communities, Massachusetts must send a clear message: there is no sanctuary for international criminals in our Commonwealth." ICE agents have been arresting violent criminals in Massachusetts, including men convicted of aggravated rape, assault and battery, and fugitives wanted in their home countries for violent sexual crimes. In many cases, sanctuary jurisdictions refused to cooperate with ICE, and instead released violent offenders into the community who then committed additional crimes, The Center Square reported . New Hampshire's incoming-Gov. Kelly Ayotte has had harsh words for Massachusetts, saying, "Our neighbors to the south seem intent on proving that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. As they struggle with a billion-dollar illegal immigrant crisis, they are instead choosing to double down," she told Fox News Digital. Ayotte, who is replacing outgoing Gov. Chris Sununu, ran on a campaign against the "Mass-i-fication" of New Hampshire. "Here in New Hampshire, we are going to ban sanctuary policies and give law enforcement the tools to work together to ensure this crisis never comes to our towns," she said.

Introducing St. Maarten's New Sports Landmark: Vie L'Ven's Multi-Court With Panoramic Views of Indigo Bay and Limited-Edition Pickleball Paddle