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  • Harry returns to UK and lays wreath as William remembers late Queen

    Harry returns to UK and lays wreath as William remembers late Queen

    Prince William and Catherine have paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II on the anniversary of her death, as Prince Harry laid a wreath on his return to the UK.

    The Prince and Princess of Wales visited a Women’s Institute event in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to meet members of an organisation with a long association with the late Queen.

    Elsewhere, Prince Harry – who has arrived back in the UK for the first time in five months – privately laid a wreath and paid his respects to the late Queen in Windsor, where she is buried.

    The prince has flown from California and will appear at the WellChild charity awards later on Monday, the first in several planned engagements this week.

    Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, who died at the age of 96, had been president of the Women’s Institute branch in Sunningdale.

    Over tea and homemade cake, Prince William and Catherine heard about the sense of community and support created by the Women’s Institute, which the late Queen had belonged to for 80 years.

    “Three years ago my grandmother passed away, I know she was a big part of the WI and she used to talk about it a lot, so this is a huge honour for me,” said Prince William.

    “I can’t quite believe it’s three years already,” he said.

    Guests were reminiscing about the late Queen’s interest in racing and he said that she used to follow racing news on an iPad.

    The prince chatted to guests about the value of meeting people in person rather than using social media. “It’s not the same as face to face with a cup of tea and a cake and having a chat,” he said.

    The royal visitors also faced questions about their own children, saying they were at an age when they could “wind up” each other.

    Prince William was wearing a dark jacket and tie, at a time of royal mourning for the Duchess of Kent, who died last Thursday.

    This is also the anniversary of the accession to the throne of King Charles, who is spending the day in Balmoral in Scotland, where the late Queen died.

    There has been speculation about whether Prince Harry will meet his father during his UK visit, with the two not having met face to face since February 2024, soon after King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.

    Prince Harry’s wife Meghan and their children have remained at their home in California.

    On Tuesday, Prince Harry will be in Nottingham where is expected to announce a significant donation to a Children in Need project and on Wednesday he will be at Imperial College London, to visit the Centre for Blast Injury Studies.

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  • Like Target, Cracker Barrel Suffered From Brand Amnesia

    Like Target, Cracker Barrel Suffered From Brand Amnesia

    Imagine the Disney logo without the castle, or Wendy’s without the pigtailed redhead, or Starbucks without its green mermaid. Now you have some idea of the dismay that greeted the recent attempt by Cracker Barrel—a billion dollar, 650-store restaurant/convenience store chain—to retire its distinctive silhouette brand of a mythical “old-timer” and his barrel.

    In the absurd way that such sideshows get blown out of proportion, this one briefly became fodder for the endless squabble. Cracker Barrel, commentators groused, had gone “woke,” somehow betraying its roots in the American heartland.

    Social media users judged the new text-only logo “soulless.” Tommy Lowe, co-founder of the first Cracker Barrel, told a Nashville television reporter, “They’re trying to modernize to be like the competition—Cracker Barrel doesn’t have any competition.”

    Tommy Lowe’s take was spot on.

    For years, when my wife and I took our kids and drove the eight-plus-hour drive to the beach for summer vacations, Cracker Barrel was our go-to for meals and old-time candy. The restaurants are ginned-up to look and feel like a country store—old tin signs and license plates, sepia-toned pictures, rocking chairs, and all the rest. It was fun, it was different from any other option, the food was simple—fried chicken, cornbread, casseroles, and breakfast all day—and the portions were country-style big.

    It didn’t take Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino long to get the message, announcing within days of rolling out the new logo that the old logo—created in 1977—would remain the standard.

    Retail industry history is replete with examples of such brand amnesia.

    One of the more prominent ones is the drama still unfolding at Target Stores. Once upon a time, Target had carved out a popular niche in fashion, positioning itself as upscale from Walmart by selling Macy’s-quality merchandise at discount prices. The company earned the aspirational French-sounding nickname “Tar-zhay.”

    As competition heated up with Walmart, Target made what may be viewed by some in hindsight a profound blunder, another case of brand amnesia. In 1995, the company decided it would try to compete with Walmart by adding grocery sections to its stores. Walmart had been selling groceries since 1988.

    Today, Target is struggling with weak sales and a low-margin grocery operation that is growing but ranks far behind the field and way behind Walmart. The company reported $24 billion in food sales last year as part of trailing 12-month revenue of $106 billion. Walmart’s fiscal 2025 grocery sales were $276 billion with total revenue of $680 billion and growing steadily.

    The logo fiasco at Cracker Barrel was part of a long-term $700 million commitment by Cracker Barrel to re-energize a “heritage” brand that had gotten stale and was earning poor marks from customers on food and value. Last year, foot traffic since 2019 had fallen by 16%, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

    Someone at Cracker Barrel had to have missed something. If they had not, they might have emerged from their brand amnesia and realized that the company needed first to find out how to delight its customers again.

    As for marketing, Cracker Barrel’s quirky style could be considered its biggest strength at a time when people are hungry for all things authentic, or things that feel that way.

    A fun, family-friendly ad campaign pitting the country-style dining experience against the institutional feel of fast-food outlets might have fun and effective.

    Perhaps even engaging its customers to understand what they are missing might have helped as well.

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  • Prince Harry UK visit stirs rumors of King Charles meeting

    Prince Harry UK visit stirs rumors of King Charles meeting

    LONDON − Prince Harry returns to Britain this week amid speculation that he might visit his father, King Charles III, for the first time in about 20 months.

    On Monday, Sept. 7, the third anniversary of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Harry will attend the WellChild Awards, an annual charity event for seriously ill children. Harry is a longtime supporter of the charity, and his attendance marks a rare visit to his homeland.

    The awards present an opportunity for family reconciliation between Harry and the 76-year-old monarch, who have been on thin ice since a high-profile rift saw the youngest child of Charles and Princess Diana move to California alongside his wife, Duchess Meghan.

    “There is talk, growing talk, that he might well meet up with his father,” Simon Perry, who covers the royal family in London for People magazine, told Reuters. “I think with any time Prince Harry comes close or relatively close to his father, and they can be in the same country, there’s going to be talk that they might well get together.”

    Buckingham Palace told Reuters it never discusses private family matters, while Harry’s spokesperson likewise declined to comment.

    The prince, 40, who last saw his father in February last year, shortly after Buckingham Palace revealed the king was undergoing treatment for cancer, has been estranged not just from Charles but the rest of the Windsors since he and Meghan left senior royal duties in 2020.

    Since then, in interviews, TV documentaries and his autobiography “Spare”, the couple have been critical of the royal household with Harry delivering particularly barbed comments about his father and elder brother, heir Prince William.

    Prince Harry is ready for reconciliation

    In an emotional interview in May, after he lost a legal battle with the British government over his security, Harry told the BBC he wanted a rapprochement.

    “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things. But you know … I would love reconciliation with my family … there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. And life is precious,” he said.

    “I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”

    In July, the king’s communications chief and Harry’s media representatives were pictured at a secret meeting in London in what newspapers suggested might be the first steps towards a reconciliation.

    “I think it’s important for the image of the monarchy that the king and his younger son are seen to be on speaking terms,” historian and author Anthony Seldon told Reuters. “I also think it’s very important for both of them … the king is the king, but he’s also a human being and a loving father.”

    Harry is not expected to see William, with newspapers saying the Prince of Wales was not yet ready to bury the hatchet with his brother.

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  • Samsung Strikes Back at iPhone 17 Hype, Galaxy S25 Edge Is Almost Free With Trade-In and Cheap Without

    Samsung Strikes Back at iPhone 17 Hype, Galaxy S25 Edge Is Almost Free With Trade-In and Cheap Without

    It makes sense if you don’t want to spend over $1,000 on a new smartphone. But if you’re still looking for a powerful device from a known brand without stretching your budget, Amazon is offering a hard-to-ignore deal.

    If you’re quick, you can grab the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge with 256GB storage for just $700. That’s $400 off an unlocked phone, which means you won’t be tied to any specific carrier. This deal is available on the Titanium Icy blue, Titanium black, and Titanium silver color options.

    See at Amazon

    A Slim, Sleek Phone That Doesn’t Compromise on Performance

    This sleek phone is Samsung’s slimmest S Series phone yet. The lightweight, minimalist build is sure to turn some heads. You’re getting a 6.7-inch ProScaler display that delivers a crisp 3200 x 1440 resolution for those bright, true-to-life visuals. 120Hz refresh rate keeps everything smooth, whether you’re just scrolling or watching a video.

    Camera-wise, it offers a 200MP main sensor, 12MP selfie camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide AF lens – Samsung’s highest-resolution setup on a Galaxy phone to date. Sun-kissed photos in the daylight or some aesthetically pleasing shots in the dark, the results come out detailed and professional, just how you intended them to. Video quality is exceptional, even when you’re filming in noisy or dim light settings.

    Samsung has packed this model with a powerful Snapdragon processor running at 4.47GHz. The 12GB of RAM makes for a fast, efficient experience, while the massive 256GB of internal storage gives plenty of room to keep all your favorite photos, apps, and even games in one place.

    The battery is designed to last all day; ideal for busy, on-the-go days. It also supports fast charging, so getting back to 100% won’t take long either. And because the phone is unlocked, you’re free to use it with any major U.S. carrier or switch providers whenever you need to.

    This deal gets you the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for just $700, which is a straight $400 off the regular price. And if you’ve got an old phone in good condition, the retailer is also offering trade-in credit up to $650 in the form of an Amazon Gift Card, which means you could save even more depending on your device.

    While this offer is available on the 256GB model, other storage configurations are discounted as well. But regardless of what you choose, note that these discounts are only available for a limited time. We recommend acting fast.

    See at Amazon

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  • US, Pakistan ink MoU on critical minerals cooperation – samaa tv

    1. US, Pakistan ink MoU on critical minerals cooperation  samaa tv
    2. Envoy Natalie Baker urges US firms to invest in Pakistan  Dawn
    3. Govt signs MoU with US firm on critical minerals cooperation  The Express Tribune
    4. From Oil to Lithium  Daily Times
    5. US diplomat praises Shehbaz govt for economic reforms  The News International

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  • Borderlands 4 Day 1 Patch ‘Does a Lot,’ Randy Pitchford Says, but Don’t Expect Miracles From Older PC Hardware

    Borderlands 4 Day 1 Patch ‘Does a Lot,’ Randy Pitchford Says, but Don’t Expect Miracles From Older PC Hardware

    Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford has said the inbound Borderlands 4 Day 1 patch “does a lot,” amid concern about the performance of the looter shooter.

    Pitchford responded to concern about Borderlands 4’s pre-release performance on PC from some users on X / Twitter, confirming not only that there’s a Day 1 patch on the way, but that it sounds pretty much essential to play the game.

    Borderlands 4 has an official release date of September 12 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, with the Nintendo Switch 2 launch following shortly after. Fans will be keen to jump in as soon as possible, making the Day 1 patch an early hoop to jump through.

    Despite the Day 1 patch, playing Borderlands 4 on older hardware won’t miraculously unlock “buttery smooth performance,” Pitchford added. It should be expected that Borderlands 4 is “unplayable” if you’re trying to use a PC below min-spec, he said, and, generally, playing new AAA games on older hardware won’t achieve impressive results.

    Here’s the comment in full:

    The Day 1 patch does a lot! That said, the expectation for using a below min-spec machine should be that the game is unplayable. That the game runs at all on your system is a miracle. That you can get 55 – 60 fps out of heavy combat is actually incredible given how the engine and what’s going on under the hood. Your specification doesn’t indicate if you’re on SDD or HDD, but that could also explain some of the hitching. It’s a big, bold, new, seamless world and I’m sorry to say that older hardware may not provide buttery smooth performance for the latest gen AAA games, as has always been the case since the dawn of PC gaming.

    A significant portion of the PC gaming audience play on low-end hardware. Indeed, just last month the developers of Battlefield 6 told Eurogamer they saw a “substantial number” of open beta players on or around the minimum recommended specs, with a number of users even playing below the minimum spec.

    While you wait for Borderlands 4 to launch, be sure to check out IGN’s recent interview with narrative director Sam Winkler, lead writer Taylor Clark, and managing director of narrative properties Lin Joyce to learn more about why the team decided to create a more grounded story this time around.

    Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

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  • The iPhone 17’s potential makeover might be just enough

    The iPhone 17’s potential makeover might be just enough

    There’s probably a lot of market research out there by fancy people who analyze consumer data trying to answer one question: Why do people choose an iPhone? Is it a reputation for better privacy? Long-term reliability? Targeted ad campaigns? I think it’s a lot simpler than anyone wants to acknowledge: Their previous iPhone no longer works.

    They’re fed up with an aging battery, or they’re tired of a dated processor chugging through app screens. Maybe their previous iPhone ate it altogether. They’ll pick up whatever-number-we’re-on-now (soon to be 17, with a supposedly “awe dropping” reveal tomorrow) because they like their old phone well enough. It’s familiar and reliable, so why change things up? The point is: Most people are buying an iPhone out of habit, rather than as the result of a conscious decision.

    I think five or seven years ago, the choice to buy an iPhone was more of an active one. People really liked what the iPhone offered — a robust app ecosystem, a streamlined operating system, and an excellent camera. But over the past decade, the list of things you “need” an iPhone for has gotten shorter as Android has caught up. You can even get a Pixel phone with what is essentially MagSafe these days.

    The standard iPhone 17 might be the only one that substantially resembles its predecessor.
    Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

    To be sure, that’s partially the reality of a mature product category. The appearance of must-have upgrades has slowed down, and people are buying phones less frequently than they used to as a result. But even if the pace of innovation has declined and people are holding on to their phones longer, shouldn’t a phone that’s four or five years newer than the one you’re trading in feel like a real upgrade?

    It looks like there’s good news on that front. Rumors point to some significant upgrades for the base model 17, like the long-awaited addition of a ProMotion screen. The features Apple has slowly trickled out over the last few years — Dynamic Island and Camera Control — haven’t exactly set the world on fire, but the compounding effect might make them feel like more substantial upgrades in the hands of, say, an iPhone 13 owner.

    Beyond the base model, it seems that Apple is taking some bigger swings. Rumors point to a significant redesign for the Pro phones: the camera bump will stretch out, we’ll get a vibrant orange color option, and the Plus model will slim down into a strikingly thin iPhone Air. If that’s all accurate, there won’t be any risk that you’ll mistake an iPhone 14 Pro for a 17 Pro. Not to mention that the 17 will be the first time many people get a look at Liquid Glass, the new design language in iOS 26. The polarizing, slightly sci-fi redesign leans into a future where augmented reality demands more transparent UX elements. It calls attention to itself in a way that Apple’s previous iOS designs have shied away from.

    It feels like the smarter Siri that we were supposed to have by now — the one with AI that’ll make your life easier, etc. — is the missing guest of honor

    Is the sum of all these upgrades an iPhone that will get people excited to upgrade? I doubt it, but maybe that’s not the point. More likely, it’ll signal to the people already resigned to upgrading their old iPhones to a new iPhone that there’s something fresh waiting for them, even if many of the year-over-year changes are superficial.

    And then there’s what’s not here. It feels like the smarter that Siri we were supposed to have by now — the one with AI that’ll make your life easier, etc. — is the missing guest of honor. This was Apple’s big attempt at not just a new feature, but a whole new way to use your phone. What’s rolled out of Apple Intelligence hasn’t offered much, and the biggest promises still aren’t ready.

    Even without it, the snowball effect of the last few years’ worth of feature upgrades — plus some bold new visuals — might make potential buyers sit up and take notice. But a keen observer might find the overhaul a little shallow; a flashy makeover that only goes skin deep. Will it be “awe dropping?” I don’t know about that. But for most people? I bet it’ll be just enough.

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  • ‘The Girlfriend’: A Gold-Digger Meets a Mama Bear – Rolling Stone

    ‘The Girlfriend’: A Gold-Digger Meets a Mama Bear – Rolling Stone

    1. ‘The Girlfriend’: A Gold-Digger Meets a Mama Bear  Rolling Stone
    2. Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke Butt Heads in Prime Video’s Nail-Biting Miniseries ‘The Girlfriend’  Star Magazine
    3. The Girlfriend cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Prime Video thriller series?  Soap Central
    4. The Girlfriend Season 1 Episodes 1 to 6 Release Date, Time, Where to Watch  SKJ Bollywood News
    5. I watched Prime Video thriller The Girlfriend and my jaw is still on the floor from seeing the steamiest scenes of 2025  TechRadar

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  • Amazon Music’s new AI feature generates personalized playlists every Monday

    Amazon Music’s new AI feature generates personalized playlists every Monday

    Ever since Spotify launched an AI DJ, Amazon Music has been developing its own AI-powered features, including AI-generated playlists and AI-assisted search, to compete more effectively with the music giant. 

    Now, Amazon Music is launching a new feature called “Weekly Vibe,” designed to further personalize the listening experience. The feature is rolling out today to U.S. customers across all subscription tiers within the app on both iOS and Android.

    Recognizing a common challenge faced by avid music streamers—getting tired of the same songs after extensive listening—Weekly Vibe aims to keep your playlists fresh every week. Every Monday, Weekly Vibe uses AI to create personalized playlists that reflect your recent listening habits, taking into account your evolving “musical moods” and interests, the company explains.

    Additionally, it suggests new, similar music to enhance the discovery experience.

    To find your Weekly Vibe playlist, go to “Library” at the bottom of the screen and select “Made for You.” Here, you will find the playlist of the week, complete with a new title, description, and curated songs. Each playlist focuses on a specific theme or genre, such as a selection of hip-hop tracks or pop hits. 

    You can also share your playlists with friends, post them on social media, and save playlists to your library for future listening.

    Weekly Vibe builds on Amazon Music’s “Maestro” playlist generator, which rolled out in beta last year. With Maestro, you can enter prompts—like what mood you’re in or even random emojis—and the AI creates personalized playlists that match the request. 

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    The most recent AI feature to launch on the platform is “Explore,” which helps you dive deeper into your favorite artists by showcasing some of their best tracks and suggesting other artists you may enjoy.

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  • Daniel Craig Back for Knives Out 3

    Daniel Craig Back for Knives Out 3

    Never fear, Benoit Blanc is here to solve yet another puzzling mystery.

    Netflix has released the trailer for Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man,” the third installment in the “Knives Out” series. The film will have a limited release in theaters on Nov. 26 as part of a two-week theatrical run before arriving on Netflix on Dec. 12.

    “Wake Up Dead Man” will once again follow detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he returns for his most dangerous case yet. After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, a lack of suspects prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to team up with Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.

    Josh O’Connor stars as priest Jud Duplenticy, who is sent to assist Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Wick’s group will consist of devout churchgoer Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) and author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott).

    “Wake Up Dead Man” will be in theaters for 14 days, but in an interview with Business Insider, Johnson revealed that he was hoping for a longer theatrical window for the “Knives Out” sequel. “We’re going to push for everything we can get in terms of theatrical, because I want as many people as possible to see it in that form,” he said. 

    Watch the trailer for “Wake Up Dead Man” below.

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