MOSCOW: Hooligans have been conspicuously absent from the World Cup and Russia’s sense of vindication is palpable.
The beating muscle-bound Russian thugs inflicted on England supporters in France during Euro 2016 was still a major talking point in the run-up to the biggest event in sport.
Violence became a leitmotif of British and the broader media’s coverage and a foil used by critics of President Vladimir Putin’s rule.
Few things insensed Moscow more than another retelling of the chairs thrown and punches landed in Marseille.
Now the group stage of matches is over and little has disturbed the peace besides the all-night singing of happy fans in the streets.
Some things have gone wrong.
Argentina got fined after its supporters pounced on a Croatia rival and kicked him while he was down in Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
Three England fans were banned for performing an anti-Semitic song in a Volgograd pub.
And several female TV reporters have been groped and sexually harassed while doing their job.
But the host nation has emerged largely unblemished and the naysayers are being proven wrong.
This is Russia’s “told you so” moment — and state media are relishing every minute of it.
“The British press used ‘those scary Russians’ to frighten its fans so much ahead of the World Cup that most of them decided to stay home,” Channel One television said in a typical evening news broadcast.
“Now it looks like the fans who did come are no longer reading the English papers.”
Vesti television said all the good news coming out of Russia “is probably especially difficult for Western politicians to hear.”
Plenty of European media had actually stopped predicting a World Cup bloodbath by the final months of preparations.
Various hooligans told Western reporters that the Kremlin had been using a carrot-and-stick approach to ensure Russia was not embarrassed with the world watching.
The feared FSB security service locked up several hooligan leaders to signal they meant business after decades of doing little to counter football fights.
Others were interrogated in night raids on their apartments and given two options: either vanish for the duration of the World Cup or face years in jail for the most minor offense.
“From what they told me, Russian fans never intended to start anything during the World Cup,” said Moscow Echo radio sports commentator Alexei Durnovo.
Security analysts said the bigger danger is probably coming from supporters of other teams with flourishing football underworlds.
Experts said these include countries in the Balkans and the traditional powerhouse Germany. England is always a menace and the Nordic states are starting to make noise of their own.
Russia says it is managing to avert violence by deploying a so-called Fan ID system that requires each ticket holder to undergo a security background check.
Those who passed are only allowed stadium entry with a card featuring their photo and a personal identity chip.
“There is little question that the Fan ID system has played its role,” said independent Russian security analyst Alexander Golts.
Less certain is what happens to the Russian hooligan culture once all the tourists clear out and the much less glamorous domestic football season kicks off in September.
Russian hooliganism monitor Robert Ustian said authorities were all but certain to relax the rules because they had been collaborating with far-right movements for years.
The “firms” that hooligan leaders run are highly hierarchical and can be mobilized at any moment should the Kremlin require a show of support on the streets.
“Let’s ask ourselves why Russia can’t always be like it is during the World Cup,” said Ustian.
No World Cup hooligans? Russia says told you so
No World Cup hooligans? Russia says told you so
- Various hooligans told Western reporters that the Kremlin had been using a carrot-and-stick approach to ensure Russia was not embarrassed with the world watching.
- Russia says it is managing to avert violence by deploying a so-called Fan ID system that requires each ticket holder to undergo a security background check.
Microsoft’s LinkedIn sued for disclosing customer information to train AI models
Microsoft’s LinkedIn has been sued by Premium customers who said the business-focused social media platform disclosed their private messages to third parties without permission to train generative artificial intelligence models.
According to a proposed class action filed on Tuesday night on behalf of millions of LinkedIn Premium customers, LinkedIn quietly introduced a privacy setting last August that let users enable or disable the sharing of their personal data.
Customers said LinkedIn then discreetly updated its privacy policy on Sept. 18 to say data could be used to train AI models, and in a “frequently asked questions” hyperlink said opting out “does not affect training that has already taken place.”
This attempt to “cover its tracks” suggests LinkedIn was fully aware it violated customers’ privacy and its promise to use personal data only to support and improve its platform, in order to minimize public scrutiny and legal fallout, the complaint said.
The lawsuit was filed in the San Jose, California, federal court on behalf of LinkedIn Premium customers who sent or received InMail messages, and whose private information was disclosed to third parties for AI training before Sept. 18.
It seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract and violations of California’s unfair competition law, and $1,000 per person for violations of the federal Stored Communications Act.
LinkedIn said in a statement: “These are false claims with no merit.”
A lawyer for the plaintiffs had no immediate additional comment.
The lawsuit was filed several hours after US President Donald Trump announced a joint venture among Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, with a potential $500 billion of investment, to build AI infrastructure in the United States.
The case is De La Torre v. LinkedIn Corp, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-00709.
Mittens the cat becomes an accidental frequent flyer after getting mistakenly left on a plane
- A Maine coon cat named Mittens accidentally flew three times between New Zealand and Australia this month after her cage was mistakenly left in the plane’s cargo hold
WELLINGTON: A Maine coon cat named Mittens became an accidental jetsetter this month when her cage was overlooked in a plane cargo hold and she made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia.
Mittens, 8, was booked for one-way travel with her family from Christchurch, New Zealand to their new home in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 13. But owner Margo Neas said Wednesday that as she waited for Mittens to be unloaded from the plane’s freight area, three hours passed with no sign of the cat.
It was then that ground staff told Neas the plane had returned to New Zealand — with Mittens still on board. The return trip involves about 7.5 hours in the air.
“I said, how can this happen? How can this happen? Oh my God,” Neas said.
The Air New Zealand pilot was told of the extra passenger during the flight and turned on the heating in the cargo hold to keep Mittens comfortable, she added. Neas was told that a stowed wheelchair had obscured a baggage handler’s view of Mittens’ cage.
“It was not a great start to our new life in Melbourne because we didn’t have the family, we weren’t complete,” she said.
But the saga had a happy ending. The pet moving company that Neas used to arrange Mittens’ travel met the cat on her return to Christchurch and ensured she was back on the plane for another trip to Melbourne — this time just one way.
Mittens had lost weight but was otherwise unharmed.
“She basically just ran into my arms and just snuggled up in here and just did the biggest cuddles of all time,” Neas said. “It was just such a relief.”
Air New Zealand would reimburse all costs associated with Mittens’ travel and has apologized for the distress caused, the airline said in a statement.
“We’ll work closely with our ground handler in Melbourne to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” said spokesperson Alisha Armstrong.
Meanwhile Mittens, not usually an affectionate pet, is “the cuddliest she’s ever been,” said Neas.
“The cat gets as much attention as she wants right now because we’re just so absolutely and utterly relieved to have her back.”
Nintendo says its new Switch 2 console will be released in 2025
- The initial reaction to the Nintendo Switch 2 was lackluster, and the company’s Tokyo-traded shares slumped 4.3 percent on Friday
LOS ANGELES: Gaming giant Nintendo revealed its newest console Thursday in a highly anticipated announcement gamers had been waiting for since rumors of its release first spread years ago.
But the initial reaction to the Nintendo Switch 2 was lackluster, and the company’s Tokyo-traded shares slumped 4.3 percent on Friday. Nintendo’s shares had surged to a record ahead of the announcement.
The successor to the Nintendo Switch system will be released this year, the promotional video says.
In the video, Nintendo showcases a larger version of the Switch that looks similar to its predecessor. It also shows the system’s controllers, or Joy-Cons, will attach to the side of Switch 2’s main unit rather than slide in.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will play Switch 2 exclusive games, as well as both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. Some Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2, the company said.
The announcement did not provide many details on the console. Nintendo says more information about the system will be available during the company’s April Nintendo Direct event. The Kyoto-based game developer said it will also host “Nintendo Switch 2 Experience” events in several countries, where players can get a hands-on experience with the new system.
Those events are planned for cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris beginning in April. Ticket registration for those events begins Friday, Nintendo said.
Young gorilla rescued from aircraft hold recovers at Istanbul zoo
- Both gorilla species — the western and eastern gorillas, which populate central Africa’s remote forests and mountains — are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
ISTANBUL: A young gorilla rescued from a plane’s cargo hold is recovering at an Istanbul zoo, officials said on Sunday, while wildlife officers consider returning him to his natural habitat.
The 5-month-old gorilla was discovered in a box on a Turkish Airlines flight from Nigeria to Thailand last month. After a public competition, he has been named Zeytin, or Olive, and is recuperating at Polonezkoy Zoo.
“Of course, what we want and desire is for the baby gorilla … to continue its life in its homeland,” Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, said Sunday.
“What is important is that an absolutely safe environment is established in the place it goes to, which is extremely important for us.”
In the weeks since he was found, Zeytin has gained weight and is showing signs of recovering from his traumatic journey.
“When he first came, he was very shy. He would stay where we left him,” said veterinarian Gulfem Esmen.
“He does not have that shyness now. He does not even care about us much. He plays games by himself.”
FASTFACT
The 5-month-old gorilla was discovered in a box on a flight from Nigeria to Thailand last month.
Both gorilla species — the western and eastern gorillas, which populate central Africa’s remote forests and mountains — are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
As Istanbul emerges as a central air hub between continents, customs officials have increasingly intercepted illegally traded animals.
In October, 17 young Nile crocodiles and 10 monitor lizards were found in an Egyptian passenger’s luggage at the city’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
Meta nixes diversity and inclusion program as it prepares for second Trump administration
MENLO PARK, California: Joining companies such as John Deere and Walmart, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is getting rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion program that includes hiring, training and picking vendors, a company spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
The move, which was first reported by Axios, comes on the heels of the social media giant’s decision to end its third-party fact-checking program and scale back policies on hate speech and abuse.
Citing an internal memo sent to employees, Axios said the Menlo Park, California-based tech giant said the US Supreme Court “has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. … The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”
In practice, this means Meta will no longer have a team focused on diversity and inclusion and the company said it will instead “focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background.”
The company will also end it’s “diverse slate approach” to hiring, which meant that a diverse pool of candidates was considered for every open position.
Other companies that have ended DEI programs recently include McDonald’s, automaker Ford, Walmart and farm equipment maker John Deere.
