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Our sleep experts have been lying on mattresses for years -- some members for eight years at this point. Having tested around 350 beds from dozens of different mattress brands, our team has a good grasp on bed firmness levels. Even with our honed-in testing processes and extensive experience comparing firmnesses, our assessments have been solely subjective -- until recently. Built by CNET Labs' tech experts Bryan Adams, lab engineer, Jared Hannah, technical product testing analyst and Steve Conaway, the director of CNET Labs, our proprietary Mattress Smasher 9000 device offers an objective way to determine mattresses' firmness levels. This nifty machine officially launched in July and has smashed nearly 100 beds thus far. This number rises weekly as our experts continue to smash the beds currently stored in our expansive mattress warehouse and the new mattresses we regularly receive to review. Read more : We Use Tech to Test Beds: Say Hello to the Mattress Smasher 9000 Watch senior video producer Owen Poole explain how the Mattress Smasher works and why it changed the way we test beds. The mattress-smashing process On average, smashing each bed takes about thirty minutes. Moving the beds into our designated Mattress Smasher room and situating them on the platform takes some time. Once the bed is appropriately positioned and the machine is ready, we hit "start" and wait between three to five minutes for the machine to work its magic and provide us with the objective firmness level. This "magic" happens as the powerful actuator arm pushes its pressure-sensitive plate down into the mattress until it reaches a pre-determined amount of force, simulating body weight. The machine calculates the firmness based on the distance the arm and plate traveled into the mattress until they reached that force amount, traveling further (or deeper) into softer beds and not as far into firmer beds. With our custom programming software, we can change the amount of force applied to the bed to simulate different body weights, allowing us to see how the firmness would feel for lighter and heavier body types . We can adjust the actuator arm of the Mattress Smasher 9000 to test multiple areas of each bed. We can also adjust the location of the actuator arm. Moving the actuator's positioning over the bed enables us to test various areas of the mattress, which is essential for determining whether the zoned support sections are actually softer or firmer, as the brands might claim. Read more: Using Tech to Test Beds: Say Hello to the Mattress Smasher 9000 Mattress Smasher results, ranked by firmness Firmness is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 the firmest. We use industry terms such as "medium-soft" or "true firm" to describe it. The firmness ratings provided by the Mattress Smasher are provided from the perspective of an average person weighing between 150 and 230 pounds, but we also test and discuss what the firmness might feel like for someone weighing above or below that range. We smash each bed at least three times but often four or five (sometimes up to six or seven), taking the average of those scores to determine the final objective firmness level. Of the nearly 100 beds we've smashed to date, the average firmness level is 5.7, or just a hair above medium. The graph below shows the firmness levels of the beds we’ve smashed with the Mattress Smasher 9000, organized from softest to firmest. The Nectar Luxe Hybrid and Helix Midnight Core mattresses were the softest, with firmness levels by the smasher of 2.1 and 2.17, respectively. Soft scores like this are best suited for strict side sleepers who need the most pressure relief for the shoulders and hips possible. The Mattress Smasher 9000 pushes the actuator arm into the bed. To no one's surprise on our team, the extra firm side of Plank Firm ranked the firmest of them all, landing at an impressive 9.5 out of 10 by the Mattress Smasher -- confirming that it's best for back and stomach sleepers seeking the most support possible from a mattress. As we continue to test and smash beds, we anticipate that the average firmness level will stay between 5 and 6. Many mattress companies offer middle-of-the-road beds that can accommodate all sleeping positions and body types and offer a combination of pressure relief and support. Read more: Best Firm Mattresses of 2024 What we've learned about mattress firmness Not to toot our own horns, but we will... This new addition to our testing process has confirmed that our team of sleep experts is highly accurate when evaluating and ranking a bed's firmness level. Brands are also pretty accurate in how they rank the firmness of their mattresses. For the Bear Original mattress, the Mattress Smasher provided 7.6, 7.6 and 7.8 scores for a total average firmness ranking of 7.65 out of 10, while Bear clocks it at 7.1. While not exactly the same, it's close, considering we have different methods and means of assessing and determining firmness -- and both rankings mean the mattress lands around medium-firm. We always test mattress firmness subjectively first, followed by its objective score. It's important to remember that even when technology is used to find the objective firmness level, firmness is still subjective at the end of the day. How one person perceives the firmness and feel of a bed may differ from another, depending on body type and weight. Our sleep team consists of members of different body types, weights and genders, allowing us to test each mattress from various perspectives and provide an all-encompassing review of the bed. Many mattresses feature zoned support, meaning different firmness levels throughout the bed provide support and pressure relief where your body needs it most. It's intended to help keep the spine neutrally aligned throughout the night. This is accomplished by altering the bed's construction, typically by having slightly firmer foam or a layer of individually wrapped coils in the center for enhanced support for your torso and hips. The outer thirds are often slightly softer to provide pressure relief for your head and shoulders. An example is the Saatva Classic , which features an additional layer of thin memory foam in the center third of the bed. The Mattress Smasher 9000 has proven that the brands' claims of zoned support are generally true and accurate. Even if we can't necessarily feel the zoned support while lying on certain beds, the Mattress Smasher can confirm that different firmness levels are present. The Saatva Rx is a prime example of this. Specifically designed for those with chronic back and joint pain, it features patented Lumbar Zone Technology. This technology provides more support in the center third of the mattress, aiming to keep your spine neutrally aligned. We moved the actuator to test each third of the mattress and confirmed this to be true -- the inside ranked around 6.1 out of 10, and the outer thirds were slightly softer, around 5.4 out of 10. With the Mattress Smasher, we can test the firmness of various areas in mattresses with zoned support, like the Saatva Rx. Interesting discoveries we had during testing Like any technology, the Mattress Smasher 9000 is not always 100% accurate. It might occasionally rank a bed higher or lower than we know it to be, and we always use our best judgment and discretion to determine why and whether the score is off from what its firmness rating truly is. We've encountered a few interesting realizations as we continue to work out any kinks with the Mattress Smasher. Mattresses with super unique construction, such as the Layla Hybrid , can sometimes throw off the firmness score provided by the smasher. We always investigate to determine the cause, and in this case, since the Layla Hybrid is flippable, the base of the mattress is soft when the firm side is up, which resulted in a few funky scores. We've also found that beds with soft top comfort layers or cushioning pillow tops tend to score softer than they are. This is because the actuator arm of the Mattress Smasher does not press down as far into the mattress layers as in a bed without a pillow top, causing it to provide a score that's softer than it would feel for a real person lying on the whole bed. An example of this is the Titan Plus Luxe . In our testing, we found this bed to be around medium-firm, while the Mattress Smasher consistently gave us lower scores between 3 and 4, which would be medium-soft. We know this is because of the soft quilted gel foam top on the Titan Plus Luxe. The Titan Plus Luxe has a thick pillow top that slightly affected the Mattress Smasher's scoring. When the bed (particularly one with memory foam) is cold from being outside in cool weather or a room with no heat, it will score higher (firmer). The bed can become more rigid when it reaches a certain threshold, as memory foam is sensitive to temperature fluctuations. The foam molecules become more tightly packed when cold, resulting in a harder feel. Typically, memory foam beds feel best between 68 and 72 degrees . Read more: The Foam in Your Mattress Matters. Here’s How It's Made Our sleep team knows this well. We are patient when unboxing memory foam mattresses from the cold delivery truck in the winter, as they're much more rigid and firm than they will be once they've had a chance to warm up and properly inflate. It's the same when lying on a memory foam bed in a cold room -- it takes extra time for your body heat to warm before the foam begins to respond appropriately, sinking and contouring around you. The building where our mattress warehouse is situated recently encountered heating issues, which meant there was no heat in the rooms where we store, film and smash beds. The resulting cooler room temperatures affected the Mattress Smasher scores for memory foam mattresses, causing them to rank higher than they should. Watch us unbox the extremely cold Casper Snow Max. Why we use technology to test beds Our sleep experts always provide in-depth descriptions of a bed's firmness and feel in our reviews to help you decide if it's the right bed for you. These qualities are largely subjective. How a bed feels from person to person will differ. We take turns lying on and dissecting the mattress's construction, collecting opinions on the firmness level from multiple CNET sleep experts with varying body types and preferred sleeping positions because it's critical to test and review this characteristic from a wide range of perspectives. Until CNET Labs created the Mattress Smasher 9000, this was the only way we could test a bed's firmness. Now, having an objective way to test and determine firmness supplements our expert assessments and makes our reviews even more precise by providing entirely unbiased data. As a dedicated member of CNET's sleep team, the Mattress Smasher 9000 will continue to test and analyze beds alongside the rest of us for the foreseeable future. Read more: How CNET's Sleep Experts Test Mattresses

Romanian lawmakers on Monday voted narrowly in favor of a new pro-European coalition government led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania's 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the center-right National Liberal Party, PNL, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a Dec. 1 parliamentary election, a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement Monday. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis," he said. "It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romani's 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It's widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it's entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns.” Romania was plunged into turmoil after Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the Dec. 8 runoff, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race. “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organize the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighboring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists ... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all lawmakers from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.Jet crash disaster in South Korea marks another setback for Boeing

The Transportation Security Administration has some reminders for those heading to airports during the holidays. “People seem to forget some of the more common and routine steps that they need to take when packing for a flight or when they are going through a checkpoint, perhaps because they’re focused on being at their destination and not focusing on what needs to happen before getting there,” said TSA officer Christopher Kirchein of John F. Kennedy International Airport. “Travelers sometimes ignore the advice that we give them,” said TeaNeisha Barker, a TSA uniformed adviser. “We are providing guidance so that they get through the checkpoint as simply and conveniently as possible. Not every airport has the same technology, so listen to the guidance we are offering.” “Passengers forget that knives and other weapons are not allowed through our checkpoints. It’s shocking to see so many people with knives,” said TSA officer Aisha Hicks of Philadelphia International Airport. “Weapons of any kind are prohibited through a TSA checkpoint.” TSA officers shared this list of the common things that travelers forget and should remember when coming to a security checkpoint. Ten things that travelers need to remember when preparing to go through the security screening process: • Remember that you cannot bring bottles of water, energy drinks, juice, coffee, soda or any filled insulated reusable container through a security checkpoint. However, they can finish their beverage and bring the empty bottle or container with them. • Remember to bring your ID to the checkpoint. • Remember when TSA officers remind you to remove everything from your pockets that it does not only mean metallic items such as keys and mobile phones, but it means everything, including non-metallic items such as tissues, lip balm, breath mints, etc. • Remember that you cannot bring a firearm through a checkpoint. Instead, pack your unloaded firearm in a locked hard-sided case and declare it at your airline check-in counter and the airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the plane where nobody has access to it. • Remember that you need to remove your shoes when getting screened and then end up barefoot on the floor. It’s probably a good idea to wear socks. • Remember that children 12 and under are allowed to travel through a TSA PreCheck screening lane with a parent who has TSA PreCheck on their boarding pass. In addition, don’t forget that children up to the age of 18 can also come into the TSA PreCheck lane with their parent if they are on the same airline reservation as their parent. • Remember that passengers that appear 12 and under or 75 and older do not need to remove their shoes and light jacket. • Remember, if you are putting a lock on your luggage, make sure it is a TSA compatible lock so that if TSA officers need to open your luggage, they can unlock it and relock it. If the lock is not TSA compliant, TSA officers who need to open your luggage will cut off the lock, rendering it useless. • Remember that you can bring medications through a security checkpoint, even liquid medication. Just let the TSA officer know that you have liquid medication with you so it can be screened separately. • Remember to get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license sooner rather than later because REAL ID goes into effect on May 7.Mark Rogers leaves Vancouver FC for League1 BC

Tomislav Ivisic scored a career-high 23 points to lead six players in double figures as No. 24 Illinois raced past visiting Chicago State 117-64 on Sunday in Champaign, Ill. Kylan Boswell also starred for the Fighting Illini (9-3) with an 18-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 16 points, while Kasparas Jakucionis contributed 14. Will Riley hit for 13 points and Morez Johnson Jr. came off the bench to net 11. Gabe Spinelli scored 20 points for the winless Cougars (0-15) and Noble Crawford added 15, but they just didn't have the scoring punch to stay with their Big Ten Conference opponent. Illinois outshot Chicago State 62.1 percent (41 of 66) to 37.3 percent (25 of 67) from the field and 45.5 percent (15 of 33) to 32.3 percent (10 of 31) from the 3-point line. The Cougars were also outrebounded 47-23. Illinois led for all but 24 seconds of the game, scoring basically at will. The Illini reaped a 28-4 advantage in free-throw attempts, drew 26 assists and earned a 48-16 advantage in points in the paint. In its last game before jumping into the bulk of its Big Ten schedule Thursday night at Oregon, Illinois wasted no time putting its stamp on the game. It carved out a double-figure edge at the 14:59 mark of the first half on Gibbs-Lawhorn's 3-pointer that made it 17-7 and simply kept expanding that lead. The margin reached 20 for the first time with 10:06 left when Ivisic drained a 3-pointer from the right wing for a 32-10 cushion. Johnson's foul shot with 3:43 remaining increased the advantage to 30 at 48-18, and Jake Davis' 3-pointer from the corner with a second on the clock gave the Illini a 60-24 cushion at halftime. Boswell's short jumper with 18:22 left in the game built Illinois' first 40-point advantage at 65-24. Riley splashed a 3-pointer with 9:57 remaining to up the lead to 50 at 93-43. Davis made another 3-pointer at the 7:59 mark to get the Illini to the 100-point threshold. They led by as many as 58 points in the final two minutes. --Field Level MediaATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old. The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief” and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America’s dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights, he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise” speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter’s diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics. Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Contributors include former AP staffer Alex Sanz in Atlanta. Advertisement AdvertisementA call to the police in Ottawa about a possible impaired driver on Highway 417 led to a major seizure of cash and drugs on Saturday evening, Dec. 28. An investigation is ongoing, and the driver was brought to the police detachment for further testing, the OPP said. “Thank you to the public for helping keep our roads safe!” the post added. Drug busts have cropped up elsewhere across Ontario during traffic stops this month. The officers arrested the driver and passenger for drug possession and seized substances believed to be cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, worth an estimated street value of approximately $17,000. This drug bust occurred in the Township of Strong in Northern Ontario. The driver was driving without a licence and had an open bottle of alcohol within his reach. As he was placed under arrest and searched, officers found a large sum of cash and over 280 grams of what was believed to be cocaine. Additional illicit drugs believed to be magic mushrooms were found in the vehicle, along with cash, drug packaging materials, and multiple knives. A total of over $15,000 was seized. Both the driver and passenger were charged with drug possession for the purpose of trafficking. The driver was also charged with various other offences including careless driving, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. On the late evening of Dec. 8, officers from the OPP’s Kirkland Lake detachment searched a vehicle during a traffic stop and seized 783 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 64 grams of cocaine, and 7 grams of ecstasy.

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Daily Post Nigeria 2025 budget: Ebonyi Assembly passes N444bn appropriation bill Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport News 2025 budget: Ebonyi Assembly passes N444bn appropriation bill Published on December 24, 2024 By Casmir Nwankwo The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed into law a budget of N444.98 billion for the 2025 fiscal year, as earlier presented by Governor Francis Nwifuru. The 2025 appropriation bill, titled “Budget of Economic and Social Development,” was passed after a review by the House Committee on Appropriation and Finance at the state legislative complex. According to a statement signed and released by the assembly’s Public Relations Officer, Sylvester Egede, the bill was deliberated upon by the Committee of the Whole, where it was reviewed page by page, and errors in syntax and morphology were corrected. In his remarks, the Speaker of the Assembly, Moses Odunwa, commended the committee for their thoroughness, commitment to their assignment, and timely completion of the review process. He noted that the committee’s efforts reflect the spirit of the Seventh State Assembly, which is dedicated to the welfare of Ebonyi residents and the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru. The Speaker pledged the Assembly’s unwavering support for the current administration and expressed optimism that the 2025 budget would usher in unprecedented development for the state’s residents. Earlier, the chairman of the committee and Leader of the House, Kingsley Ikoro, stated that heads of ministries, departments, agencies, and parastatals were invited to ensure proper scrutiny of the budget. Ikoro expressed satisfaction with the excellent performance of all stakeholders involved, which, according to him, facilitated the swift completion of the committee’s assignment. He emphasised that global best practices were adopted to support the implementation of government finance statistics and reporting standards. He added that the 2025 budget is aimed at driving the state’s developmental agenda through industrialisation, improving internally generated revenue, and addressing the People’s Charter of Needs in Ebonyi State. The budget comprises three main sections: personnel, overhead, and capital expenditure. Related Topics: 2025 budget Ebonyi Assembly Don't Miss Ondo Assembly passes N698.66bn budget for 2025 You may like 2025 budget cannot address Nigeria’s economic challenges – Atiku 2025 Budget: Boost pipeline security to achieve N36trn revenue target — Group tells FG 2025 budget will address inflation, place Nigeria on part to sustainable growth – RHAN 2025 budget projections unrealistic – Analyst, Abia 2025 budget: Tinubu sets N1,500/Dollar rate 2025 budget: Tinubu has told Nigerians $1 can’t go below N1500 – Ekechukwu Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd

Harris Dickinson was nervous to approach Nicole Kidman . This would not necessarily be notable under normal circumstances, but the English actor had already been cast to star opposite her in the erotic drama “Babygirl,” as the intern who initiates an affair with Kidman's buttoned-up CEO. They’d had a zoom with the writer-director Halina Reijn, who was excited by their playful banter and sure that Dickinson would hold his own. And yet when he found himself at the same event as Kidman, shyness took over. He admitted as much to Margaret Qualley, who took things into her own hands and introduced them. “She helped me break the ice a bit,” Dickinson said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. On set would be an entirely different story. Dickinson might not be nearly as “puckishly audacious” as his character Samuel but in the making of “Babygirl,” he, Kidman and Reijn had no choice but to dive fearlessly into this exploration of sexual power dynamics, going to intimate, awkward, exhilarating and meme-able places. It’s made the film, in theaters Christmas Day, one of the year’s must-sees. “There was an unspoken thing that we adhered to,” Dickinson said. “We weren’t getting to know each other’s personal lives. When we were working and we were the characters, we didn’t veer away from the material. I never tried to attach all of the history of Nicole Kidman. Otherwise it probably would have been a bit of a mess.” His is a performance that reconfirms what many in the film world have suspected since his debut seven years ago as a Brooklyn tough questioning his sexuality in Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” : Dickinson is one of the most exciting young talents around. Dickinson, 28, grew up in Leytonstone, in East London — the same neck of the woods as Alfred Hitchcock. Cinema was in his life, whether it was Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” films at the local multiplex or venturing into town to see the more social realist films of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. “Working class cinema interested me,” he said. “People around me that represented my world.” Appropriately, his entry into making art started behind the camera, with a comedy web series he made as a kid, which he now describes as “really bad spoofs” of films and shows of the time. But things started to really click when he began acting in the local theater. “I remember feeling invigorated by it and accepted,” he said. “I felt myself for the first time and felt able to express myself in a way where I didn’t feel vulnerable and I felt alive and ignited by something.” At around 17, someone suggested that he should give acting a try professionally. He hadn’t even fully understood that it was a career possibility, but he started auditioning. At 20, he was cast in “Beach Rats” and, he said, just “kept going.” Since then, he’s gotten a wide range of opportunities in films both big, including “The King’s Man,” and small. He’s captivated as a male model in Ruben Östlund’s Cannes-winning “Triangle of Sadness,” an estranged father to a 12-year-old in Charlotte Regan’s “Scrapper,” an actor bringing an ex-boyfriend to life in Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II,” the charismatic, tragic wrestler David Von Erich in Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw” and a soldier in Steve McQueen’s “Blitz.” But “Babygirl” would present new challenges and opportunities with a character who’s almost impossible to define. “He was confusing in a really interesting way. There wasn’t loads of specificity to it, which I enjoyed because it was a bit of a challenge to sort of pinpoint exactly what it was that drove him and made him tick,” Dickinson said. “There was a directness that unlocked a lot for me, like a fearlessness with the way he spoke, or a social unawareness in a way — like not fully realizing what he’s saying is affecting someone in a certain way. But I didn’t make too many rules for him.” Part of the allure of the film is the ever-shifting power dynamics between the two characters, which could change over the course of a scene. As Reijn said, “It’s a cautionary tale about what happens when you suppress your own desires.” She was especially in awe of Dickinson's ability to make everything feel improvised and the fact that he could look like a 12-year-old boy in one shot and a confident 45-year-old man in the next. Since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year, the film has led to some surprisingly direct conversations with audiences spanning generations. But that, Dickinson understood, was what Reijn wanted. “She really wanted to show the ugliness and the awkwardness of these things, of these relationships and sex,” he said. “That sort of fumbly version and the performative version of it is way more interesting, to me at least, than the kind of fantasized, romanticized, sexy thing that we’ve seen a lot.” Dickinson recently stepped behind the camera again, directing his first feature film under the banner of his newly formed production company. Set against the backdrop of homelessness in London, “Dream Space” is about a drifter trying to assimilate and understand his cyclical behavior. The film, which wrapped earlier this year, has given him a heightened appreciation for just how many people are indispensable in the making of a film. He’s also started to understand that “acting is just being able to relax.” “When you’re relaxed, you can do stuff that is truthful,” he said. “That only happens if you’ve got good people around you: The director that creates the good environment. The intimacy coordinator facilitating a safe space. A coworker in Nicole encouraging that kind of bravery and performance with what she’s doing.” Dickinson did eventually get to the point where he managed to ask Kidman questions about working with Stanley Kubrick and Lars Von Trier. But he also kept one shattering possibility between himself and his director. “There is a world in which Samuel doesn’t even exist. He’s just a sort of a device or a figment for her own story. And I like that because it kind of means you can take the character into a very unrealistic realm at times and be almost like a deity in the story,” Dickinson said. “We didn’t talk about it with Nicole.” Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press

Traveling this holiday season? 10 things the TSA wants you to know

Harris Dickinson was nervous to approach . This would not necessarily be notable under normal circumstances, but the English actor had already been cast to star opposite her in as the intern who initiates an affair with Kidman’s buttoned-up CEO. They’d had a zoom with the who was excited by their playful banter and sure that Dickinson would hold his own. And yet when he found himself at the same event as Kidman, shyness took over. He admitted as much to who took things into her own hands and introduced them. “She helped me break the ice a bit,” Dickinson said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. On set would be an entirely different story. Dickinson might not be nearly as “puckishly audacious” as his character Samuel but in the making of “Babygirl,” he, Kidman and Reijn had no choice but to dive fearlessly into this exploration of sexual power dynamics, going to intimate, awkward, exhilarating and meme-able places. It’s made the film, in theaters Christmas Day, one of the year’s must-sees. “There was an unspoken thing that we adhered to,” Dickinson said. “We weren’t getting to know each other’s personal lives. When we were working and we were the characters, we didn’t veer away from the material. I never tried to attach all of the history of Nicole Kidman. Otherwise it probably would have been a bit of a mess.” His is a performance that reconfirms what many in the film world have suspected since his debut seven years ago as a Brooklyn tough questioning his sexuality in Eliza Hittman’s : Dickinson is one of the most exciting young talents around. Dickinson, 28, grew up in Leytonstone, in East London — the same neck of the woods as Cinema was in his life, whether it was at the local multiplex or venturing into town to see the more social realist films of and “Working class cinema interested me,” he said. “People around me that represented my world.” Appropriately, his entry into making art started behind the camera, with a comedy web series he made as a kid, which he now describes as “really bad spoofs” of films and shows of the time. But things started to really click when he began acting in the local theater. “I remember feeling invigorated by it and accepted,” he said. “I felt myself for the first time and felt able to express myself in a way where I didn’t feel vulnerable and I felt alive and ignited by something.” At around 17, someone suggested that he should give acting a try professionally. He hadn’t even fully understood that it was a career possibility, but he started auditioning. At 20, he was cast in “Beach Rats” and, he said, just “kept going.” Since then, he’s gotten a wide range of opportunities in films both big, including and small. He’s captivated as a male model in Ruben Östlund’s Cannes-winning an estranged father to a 12-year-old in Charlotte Regan’s “Scrapper,” an actor bringing an ex-boyfriend to life in Joanna Hogg’s the charismatic, tragic wrestler David Von Erich in Sean Durkin’s and a soldier in But “Babygirl” would present new challenges and opportunities with a character who’s almost impossible to define. “He was confusing in a really interesting way. There wasn’t loads of specificity to it, which I enjoyed because it was a bit of a challenge to sort of pinpoint exactly what it was that drove him and made him tick,” Dickinson said. “There was a directness that unlocked a lot for me, like a fearlessness with the way he spoke, or a social unawareness in a way — like not fully realizing what he’s saying is affecting someone in a certain way. But I didn’t make too many rules for him.” Part of the allure of the film is the ever-shifting power dynamics between the two characters, which could change over the course of a scene. As Reijn said, “It’s a cautionary tale about what happens when you suppress your own desires.” She was especially in awe of Dickinson’s ability to make everything feel improvised and the fact that he could look like a 12-year-old boy in one shot and a confident 45-year-old man in the next. Since its premiere at the earlier this year, the film has led to some surprisingly direct conversations with audiences spanning generations. But that, Dickinson understood, was what Reijn wanted. “She really wanted to show the ugliness and the awkwardness of these things, of these relationships and sex,” he said. “That sort of fumbly version and the performative version of it is way more interesting, to me at least, than the kind of fantasized, romanticized, sexy thing that we’ve seen a lot.” Dickinson recently stepped behind the camera again, directing his first feature film under the banner of his newly formed production company. Set against the backdrop of homelessness in London, “Dream Space” is about a drifter trying to assimilate and understand his cyclical behavior. The film, which wrapped earlier this year, has given him a heightened appreciation for just how many people are indispensable in the making of a film. He’s also started to understand that “acting is just being able to relax.” “When you’re relaxed, you can do stuff that is truthful,” he said. “That only happens if you’ve got good people around you: The director that creates the good environment. The intimacy coordinator facilitating a safe space. A coworker in Nicole encouraging that kind of bravery and performance with what she’s doing.” Dickinson did eventually get to the point where he managed to ask Kidman questions about working with Stanley Kubrick and Lars Von Trier. But he also kept one shattering possibility between himself and his director. “There is a world in which Samuel doesn’t even exist. He’s just a sort of a device or a figment for her own story. And I like that because it kind of means you can take the character into a very unrealistic realm at times and be almost like a deity in the story,” Dickinson said. “We didn’t talk about it with Nicole.” Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press

Tribune News Network DOHA: Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Eng Badr Mohammed Al Meer, took part in this year’s Doha Forum, highlighting the airline’s commitment to sustainable growth, its strategic partnerships and focus on innovation with CNN anchor and correspondent, Julia Chatterley. The 22nd edition of the Doha Forum was held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Forum welcomed world leaders, policy-makers, and experts to discuss innovative solutions and action-oriented recommendations for globally critical challenges, including security and technological advancements. The discussion with Eng Al Meer explored the impact of transformative investments, the navigation of complex geopolitical landscapes and seizing opportunities in emerging markets. Eng Al Meer shed light on one of his top priorities, Qatar Airways 2.0, which is focused on employee well-being and retention. He also discussed strategic partnerships from Africa to Australia, and the honour of being awarded the World’s Best Airline by Skytrax in 2024 for the eighth time. Eng Al Meer, said: "I was proud to represent Qatar Airways at this year’s Doha Forum." "Our increasingly connected world has introduced unique challenges, but has also unearthed new opportunities for cross-cultural understanding, much to the benefit of the aviation industry. Qatar Airways has strong and strategic diplomatic ties across the world and is a key player on the global stage. The demand for our services has remained high during both peak and low travel seasons." He continued: "With our partnerships in the emerging markets in Africa, the Americas, and India, we have built on our strengths of agility and commitment to sustainable growth to prove time and time again that Qatar Airways remains resilient, nimble, and responsive to change. These qualities are essential for growth in a multi-lateral environment." "Owing to our new era of Qatar Airways 2.0, dedication to our workforce, and growing investments and partnerships, our airline serves as the optimal case study for thriving businesses in rapidly evolving landscapes." Delivering a record profit of $1.7 billion in the previous financial year, Qatar Airways continues to invest in the latest technologies, most recently as the first global airline to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet. The airline also acquired a 25 per cent stake in Southern Africa’s regional carrier, Airlink, and has been granted interim authorisation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to engage with Virgin Australia in co-operative conduct under an integrated alliance, following Qatar Airways Group’s announcement in October that it intends to acquire a minority 25 per cent equity stake in Virgin Australia from Bain Capital (subject to FIRB approval), as part of its dedication to global connectivity. Copy 08/12/2024 10

WASHINGTON — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request. The airline said in an email that the problem was caused by trouble with vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. An American Airlines employee wearing looks toward quiet check-in counters Tuesday in the American terminal at Miami International Airport in Miami. Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots, said the airline told pilots at 7 a.m. Eastern that there was an outage affecting the system known as FOS. It handles different types of airline operations, including dispatch, flight planning, passenger boarding, as well as an airplane's weight and balance data, he said. Some components of FOS have gone down in the past, but a systemwide outage is rare, Tajer said. Flights were delayed across American's major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Out of the 3,901 domestic and international American Airlines flights scheduled for Tuesday, 19 were canceled. Cirium noted that the vast majority of flights departed within two hours of their scheduled departure time. A similar percentage — 36% — arrived at their destinations as scheduled. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 4,058 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed, with 76 flights canceled. The site had not posted any American Airlines flights on Tuesday morning, but showed in the afternoon that 961 American flights were delayed. Cirium said Dallas-Fort Worth, New York's Kennedy Airport and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the greatest number of delays. Washington, Chicago and Miami experienced considerably fewer delays. Travelers wait in line for security checks Tuesday at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. Amid the travel problems, significant rain and snow were expected in the Pacific Northwest at least into Christmas Day. Showers and thunderstorms developed in the South. Freezing rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic region near Baltimore and Washington, and snow fell in New York. Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. Any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have "interline agreements" that let them put stranded customers on another carrier's flights. An American Airlines employee wearing a Santa Claus hat walks through the American terminal Tuesday at Miami International Airport in Miami. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. Finding a last-minute flight on another airline tends to be expensive. An American spokesperson said Tuesday was not a peak travel day for the airline — with about 2,000 fewer flights than the busiest days — so the airline had somewhat of a buffer to manage the delays. The groundings happened as millions of travelers were expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. American Airlines employees check in travelers Tuesday in the American terminal at Miami International Airport in Miami. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. "Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday," AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation's highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. "It's not the destination, it's the journey," said American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph clearly was not among the travellers on one of more than 350 cancelled or 1,400 delayed flights after a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to Crowdstrike's "Falcon Sensor" software in July of 2023. U.S. airlines carried nearly 863 million travellers in 2023, with Canadian carriers accounting for another 150 million, many of whom experienced lost luggage, flight delays, cancellations, or were bumped off their flights. It's unclear how many of them were compensated for these inconveniences. Suffice it to say, posting a crabby rant on social media might temporarily soothe anger, but it won't put wasted money back in pockets. Money.ca shares what to know in order to be compensated for the three most common air travel headaches. Bags elected to go on a vacay without you? Check off the following: If you expect a large payout, think again. Tariffs (air carrier contracts) limit the compensation amounts for "loss of, damage to, or the delay in delivery of baggage or other personal property." In the case of Air Canada, the maximum payout is $1,500 per passenger in the currency of the country where the baggage was processed. To raise that limit, purchase a Declaration of Higher Value for each leg of the trip. The charge is $0.50 for each $100, in which case the payout limit is $2,500. For Delta Air Lines, passengers are entitled to up to $3,800 in baggage compensation, though how much you'll receive depends on your flight. Delta will pay up to $2,080 for delayed, lost, and damaged baggage for international travellers, almost half of what U.S. domestic passengers can claim. If your flight is marked delayed for more than 30 minutes, approach the gate agent and politely request food and hotel vouchers to be used within the airport or nearby. Different air carriers and jurisdictions have their own compensation policies when flights are delayed or cancelled. For example, under European Union rules, passengers may receive up to 600 Euros, even when travelling on a non-EU carrier. Similarly, the DOT states that travellers are entitled to a refund "if the airline cancelled a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel." However, US rules regarding delays are complicated. Some air carriers, such as Air Canada, do not guarantee their flight schedules. They're also not liable for cancellations or changes due to "force majeure" such as weather conditions or labour disruptions. If the delay is overnight, only out-of-town passengers will be offered hotel accommodation. Nevertheless, many airlines do offer some compensation for the inconvenience. If your flight is marked delayed for more than 30 minutes, approach the gate agent and politely request food and hotel vouchers to be used within the airport or nearby. In terms of cash compensation, what you'll get can differ significantly based on things like departure location, time, carrier, and ticket class. The DOT offers a helpful delay and cancellations dashboard designed to keep travellers informed about their compensation rights. The dashboard is particularly helpful because, as the DOT states on its website, "whether you are entitled to a refund depends on a lot of factors—such as the length of the delay, the length of the flight, and your particular circumstances." The Canadian Transportation Agency is proposing air passenger protection regulations that guarantee financial compensation to travellers experiencing flight delays and cancellations, with the level of compensation varying depending on the situation and how much control the air carrier had. The proposed regulations include the following: The airline is obligated to complete the passenger's itinerary. If the new ticket is for a lower class of service, the air carrier would have to refund the cost difference; if the booking is in a higher class of service, passengers cannot be charged extra. If the passenger declines the ticket, the airline must give a full refund, in addition to the prescribed compensation. For overnight delays, the air carrier needs to provide hotel accommodation and transportation free-of-charge. Again, if you are unsatisfied, the Canadian Transportation Agency or Department of Transportation may advocate on your behalf. Passengers get bumped because airlines overbook. When this happens, the air carrier must compensate you. For international flights in the US, the rate is 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $675 maximum. If the airline does not make travel arrangements for you, the payout is 400% of your one-way fare to a maximum of $1,350. To qualify, you must check-in by the stated deadline, which on international flights can be up to 3 hours ahead. Keep in mind that if you accept the cash, you are no longer entitled to any further compensation, nor are you guaranteed to be rebooked on a direct flight or similar type of seat. Don't be too quick to give up your boarding pass. Negotiate for the best compensation deal that would include cash, food and hotel vouchers, flight upgrade, lounge passes, as well as mileage points. But avoid being too greedy—if the gate attendant is requesting volunteers and you wait too long, you'll miss the offer. According to Air Canada's tariff, if a passenger is involuntarily bumped, they'll receive $200, in cash or bank draft, for up to a two-hour delay; $400 for a 2-6 hours delay; and $800 if the delay is over six hours. (Air Canada was forced to raise its payouts in 2013 due to passenger complaints.) The new rules would raise the payout significantly: $900 for up to six hours; $1,800 for 6-9; and $2,400 for more than nine hours, all to be paid within 48 hours. Statistically speaking, Delta Airlines is the carrier most likely to bump. A few years ago, Delta raised its payout maximum to $9,950, while United Airlines tops out at $10,000. This story was produced by Money.ca and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

President Joe Biden on Monday vetoed a once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal district judgeships, saying “hurried action” by the House left important questions unanswered about the life-tenured positions. The legislation would have spread the establishment of the new trial court judgeships over more than a decade to give three presidential administrations and six Congresses the chance to appoint the new judges. The bipartisan effort was carefully designed so that lawmakers would not knowingly give an advantage to either political party in shaping the federal judiciary. > Watch NBC Bay Area News 📺 Streaming free 24/7 The Democratic-controlled Senate passed the measure unanimously in August. But the Republican-led House brought it to the floor only after Republican Donald Trump was reelected to a second term in November, adding the veneer of political gamesmanship to the process. The White House had said at the time that Biden would veto the bill. “The House of Representative's hurried action fails to resolve key questions in the legislation, especially regarding how the new judgeships are allocated, and neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate explored fully how the work of senior status judges and magistrate judges affects the need for new judgeships,” the president said in a statement. “The efficient and effective administration of justice requires that these questions about need and allocation be further studied and answered before we create permanent judgeships for life-tenured judges,” Biden said. He said the bill would also have created new judgeships in states where senators have not filled existing judicial vacancies and that those efforts "suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of this bill now. “Therefore, I am vetoing this bill,” Biden said, essentially dooming the legislation for the current Congress. Overturning Biden's veto would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, and the House vote fell well short of that margin. Organizations representing judges and attorneys had urged Congress to vote for the bill. They argued that the lack of new federal judgeships had contributed to profound delays in the resolution of cases and serious concerns about access to justice. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., reacted swiftly, calling the veto a “misguided decision” and “another example of why Americans are counting down the days until President Biden leaves the White House.” He alluded to a full pardon that Biden recently granted his son Hunter on federal gun and tax charges. “The President is more enthusiastic about using his office to provide relief to his family members who received due process than he is about giving relief to the millions of regular Americans who are waiting years for their due process," Young said. "Biden’s legacy will be ‘pardons for me, no justice for thee.’” —-- Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

The former Picture Palace is the 26th historic building in Prescot town centre to benefit from restoration work as part of Knowsley Council’s wider regeneration programme for the town. The Grade II listed building is a rare example of its type and was one of the earliest cine-variety houses in the country. The expert restoration work focussed on the exterior of the building and was carried out by Knowsley Council with support from Purcell, specialist conservation-accredited architects. Historical photographs were used to help recreate some of the original design features, which were created in the flamboyant Edwardian Neo-Baroque style. This has all helped to bring the building back to its former splendour. READ > Works to major M62 junction to cause 'unavoidable delays' The work has been funded jointly by Historic England and Knowsley Council as part of the Prescot Heritage Action Zone project. The work includes: Cllr Tony Brennan, Knowsley’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic development said: “The restoration of the former Prescot Picture Palace building is the single biggest project the council has undertaken as part of our successful High Street Heritage Action Zone project here in Prescot. "The architectural heritage and cultural history of this iconic building is incomparable, and I am delighted that we have been able to safeguard this building and its heritage for many more years to come.” A picture taken inside Prescot Picture Palace in 2021 (Image: Stock) Associate Architect at Purcell, Jane Roylance added: “We are proud to have contributed to the conservation of the Grade II listed Prescot Picture Palace, a much-loved icon of Knowsley’s heritage, which has carefully restored the building’s original features. The works form the first phase of the building’s regeneration which will secure its future for generations to come.” Historic England’s Julie Griffiths said: “We’re delighted to see this historic gem in the heart of Prescot now fully restored and ready for a new use. This is testament to the hard work of Knowsley Council, local people and expert contractors who’ve worked together to make this happen.” The former Prescot Picture Palace Cinema at 8-14 Kemble Street was established in 1912. The Prescot Picture Palace Company Ltd purchased number 12 to 14 Kemble Street (a pair of amalgamated C19 town houses) and plans were approved by the Urban District Council for their conversion into a cine-variety theatre in September of that year. At its opening it was described as presenting a palatial appearance and ‘quite luxurious’ with the theatre seating 630 customers, which increased with the addition of a balcony around 1913. The U-shaped balcony, carried on ten pairs of columns, was accessed by a central L-shaped staircase off the foyer. The Picture Palace served as a picture-drome, music-hall and Variety Theatre. It was operated as part of the J F Emery Circuit by 1923, renamed ‘Palace Cinema’ in 1927, and equipped with a British Thomson-Houston (BTH) sound system by 1929. In 1957 the cinema closed, and the building became a carpet and furniture warehouse. The plan form remained unchanged until the mid-1970s, although the 1920s cinema seating was removed from the auditorium and stored in the upper floors. Around 1975 former shops (8-10 Kemble St) were purchased by Tudor Bingo and incorporated into the cinema building. Number 8 was a purpose-built early-C20 shop, with an Edwardian shopfront to the ground and first floor, and Number 10 a former C19 house converted to a shop. Both shop frontages were boarded up and modifications included the creation of internal access between the newly purchased buildings and the former cinema, and the removal of the cinema entrance entablature for a fascia sign. A flat roof extension was added to the rear of numbers 8-10 and another at the south end of the auditorium’s east elevation. Internally the east arm of the balcony was extended to the south end of the auditorium, over the stage and beneath the proscenium arch. Coral Bingo took over the bingo club in the late 1980s and established a social club, with the loss of the shop front to number 10 for the insertion of two ground floor windows. In 1995 the buildings were purchased by Prescot Community Church (an Elim Pentecostal Congregation), who remained in residence until 2021. Knowsley Council acquired the building in 2021, and the revival of the building is the single largest project of Prescot’s High Street Heritage Action Zone project, jointly funded by Knowsley Council and Historic England. Prescot was selected as one of the 68 high streets to benefit from the High Streets Heritage Action Zone scheme in 2020. The £3.1 million heritage-led regeneration programme has seen major investment from Knowsley Council and Historic England into a number of key projects in Prescot town centre.