Philips Hue appears to be preparing a new “Bridge Pro” setup that turns your smart lights into motion sensors, while also supporting more devices.
The existing Philips Hue bridge is a core part of any Hue setup. The bridge connects to your network and communicates with each product, and is part of the reason Hue tends to be more stable than hub-less smart home offerings. But the hardware hasn’t been updated in a while, and a common complaint is that it can only support 50 devices at a time.
The new Philips Hue “Bridge Pro” appears to be addressing that, while also adding new features.
Spotted on a since-removed web page by HueBlog, the “Bridge Pro” is described as the company’s “most advanced smart home hub.” It’s apparently faster and supports “more capacity,” though a specific number isn’t mentioned.
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The standout feature here is “MotionAware” which, apparently, is able to use Hue lighting products as motion sensors.
Our most advanced smart home hub is faster, has more capacity, and unlocks more features than ever before. Get ultra-fast response times, advanced AI features, and expanded capacity. Plus, turn your smart lights into motion sensors with built-in MotionAware™ technology.
It’s unclear exactly how this works, but it’s an exciting prospect if it works with existing bulbs.
Beyond the new bridge, the same page also shows off a Philips Hue wired video doorbell which is “coming soon,” “Festavia” lights which can be installed indoors or out, in permanent or globe string light forms, new gradient light strips, a new A19 bulb (pictured above), and also the addition of Sonos voice controls.
The page is still viewable as a PDF, but it’s unclear when all of these announcements will actually go live. Given the page was live and finished, it seems likely it’s coming sooner rather than later.
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Individuals with Raynaud phenomenon without underlying systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases had higher risks for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and venous thromboembolism than did a comparator group with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), regardless of age.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine whether individuals with Raynaud phenomenon experienced cardiovascular outcomes more frequently than those without the condition.
They included 30,088 individuals younger than 45 years and 60,145 aged 45 years or older with Raynaud phenomenon without systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases , identified from electronic health records of centers in North America between March 2005 and March 2025.
An equal number of propensity score-matched individuals with IBS were assigned as comparators to both age categories. The researchers chose IBS as a comparator group because, like Reynaud phenomenon, it is common in younger and female individuals. In addition, it is not known to be associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
Co-primary outcomes were MACE and venous thromboembolism, evaluated over mean follow-up durations of 4.4-4.9 years across groups.
TAKEAWAY:
Among individuals younger than 45 years, those with Raynaud phenomenon had higher risks for MACE (hazard ratio [HR], 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07-1.42) and venous thromboembolism (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.20-1.46) than did those with IBS.
Similar results were observed among individuals aged 45 years or older, where those with Raynaud phenomenon had higher risks for MACE (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.13-1.20) and venous thromboembolism (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.14-1.26) than those with IBS.
Individuals with Raynaud phenomenon had higher risks for secondary outcomes such as stroke, any cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary embolism noted in both age categories.
IN PRACTICE:
“[This] data substantiates several previous reports of an increased risk of CVD [cardiovascular disease] in individuals with RP [Raynaud phenomenon], and provides further supporting evidence of a similar risk of VTE [venous thromboembolism],” the authors of the study wrote. “Taken together our findings lend further support to suggest that RP (in the absence of any secondary SARD [systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease]) could be a manifestation of subclinical CVD. Of course, this requires further confirmation including prospective studies,” they added.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Michael Hughes, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom. It was published online on August 5, 2025, in Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.
LIMITATIONS:
Diagnostic codes were used for identifying the conditions; however, misclassification bias may be possible. Details such as digital ischemic episodes were not available for individuals with Raynaud phenomenon and age of onset and family history were not assessed. Many oral drug treatments for Raynaud phenomenon are vasodilators also used for systemic hypertension; hence, the primary indication was unclear.
DISCLOSURES:
One author reported receiving support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. Another author reported receiving support from NIHR Clinical Lectureship, and working at centers supported by Versus Arthritis and NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. Two authors reported receiving research funding, speaker fees, honoraria, and consultancy fees and having other financial ties with multiple companies including Janssen, Sanofi, and Novartis.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
On August 8th, American president Donald Trump hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to announce a framework that could potentially end the two countries’ decades-long conflict. While many parts of the deal had been in place for almost a year*, the White House ceremony creates the need for swift action for the deal to stick. Europeans can influence the process, with their leverage growing as attention turns to the region’s possible integration into global markets.
A central element of the agreement is Armenia’s consent to open a 43km stretch of its territory for an America-administered corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan, which borders Iran and Turkey. The goal is that the officially named Trump Corridor for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) becomes part of a major trade route from central Asia through Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey to global markets.
While this is a milestone worth celebrating, my experience from decades of peace talks is that international observers leave ceremonies pleased with how much has been done, while the relevant parties fixate on what they did not achieve. And now there is a risk that the White House event could trigger dynamics that undermine the prospects for peace.
First, there will be no final agreement for at least a year because Azerbaijan insists Armenia remove from its constitution any reference to periods when Armenia governed parts of Azerbaijan, including areas that have been historically inhabited by ethnic Armenians. Any amendment to Armenia’s constitution will not happen before next year’s election—now set to be overshadowed by this very issue.
The deal also excluded key parties whose support is crucial for the corridor’s success, such as Russia, Iran—whose border runs near it—and Turkey—through which goods will need to pass for the corridor to be viable. Uncertainty about the corridor’s long-term prospects could attract opportunistic actors seeking quick gains, fuelling corruption and leaving the project vulnerable to parties that ultimately would like to see it fail.
The EU can help here. European capital could be the cheapest and most reliable way to insure and finance the corridor, ensuring its success. But the EU will need to increase assistance and investment to Armenia, besides preparing for an emboldened Russia, especially as the US shifts focus away from actively supporting Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian prime minister, or providing infrastructure for free and fair elections in his country.
Trump’s personal stake
Is TRIPP destined to become another “Lake Trump”, the body of water on the Serbia-Kosovo border where the United States president tried to slap a brand name without actually resolving the conflict?
It feels awkward to ask such a sceptical question so soon after a positive event. The ceremony revealed two truths: that the US is a major player in the south Caucasus, long Russia’s backyard, and that peace is achievable, even if politicians in both countries (especially Azerbaijan) keep their publics ready for war. It also marks Trump’s personal involvement in a crucial region, potentially kickstarting massive economic benefits. In fact, Trump’s involvement might have been the key factor in securing this agreement.
In the Biden administration, we did not offer the president’s personal involvement due to concerns over the tens of thousands of Armenians who had fled Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, as well as about Azerbaijan’s crackdown on civil society, including threats to expel USAID. Now the Trump administration itself defunded USAID, and the White House ceremony signals that Washington is no longer concerned over Azerbaijan’s 2020 and 2023 military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Biden approach amounted to a peace-in-practice that key parties would implement as soon as an agreement was reached.
Azerbaijan’s gains
President Ilham Aliyev did not get the complete climb down by Armenia that he wanted, but he won a great deal. Aliyev leaves with an agreement that deepens his relationship with the US, securing help for a safe connection with Nakhchivan and a promise of US investment in the corridor. One foundation of the peace-in-practice proposed by the Biden team was a US pledge to impose sanctions on officials and companies that build, operate or use a corridor without Armenian consent. From Aliyev’s standpoint, a US promise to back the corridor now, before Armenia has taken the final step of amending its constitution, could mean that this bit of leverage has been surrendered. In short, the US paid up front while Aliyev only had to reiterate peace assurances he has offered many times before.
Armenia’s strains
The potential backlash in Armenia will be a problem. There will be no substantial peace dividend for Armenia: no open border with Turkey, no extra investments for Armenia’s benefit (beyond what was promised by former secretary of state Antony Blinken in April 2024 and the US-Armenia agreement signed on August 8th); only a corridor connecting different parts of Azerbaijan. The election campaign will now be dominated by the prospect of a coerced constitutional change. This will be deeply unpopular in Armenia and will hurt Pashinyan further.
This is a shame. Pashinyan has been a courageous, far-sighted leader. A weak and Moscow-dependent Armenia, or one polarised like neighbouring Georgia, will almost certainly not live up to the hard compromises needed for peace. And an Armenia that cannot uphold the agreement will be vulnerable to intervention by Moscow or Baku.
Russia’s shadow
The White House ceremony did send a strong message to Moscow, which has long regarded the south Caucasus as its zone of influence but is now weakened by Ukraine, sanctions and harsh disagreements with both Yerevan and Baku.
However, this is an incremental and maybe only a transitory benefit. Trump seems to be in a hurry to find an accommodation with Vladimir Putin. Sanctions relief, a ceasefire with Ukraine or any understanding with the US president will give Moscow latitude, money and military might to intensify its engagement in the Caucasus—especially in Armenia, where it already has (weak) proxies and security bases.
While anti-Russia sentiment in Armenia is now highly prevalent, Russia has learned in campaigns in Moldova, Romania and Georgia how to help its preferred candidates while avoiding backlash—and will certainly apply these lessons in Armenia’s election. Additionally, after the upcoming Trump-Putin Alaska summit, I believe Putin will almost certainly claim (perhaps privately to the regional leaders) that he secured an understanding from Trump that the south Caucasus is in the Russian sphere. The US and Europe will need to clarify immediately that this is untrue.
No business without Turkey
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was neither present nor mentioned in Washington. The problem is that the corridor’s success depends on accessible routes to global markets, with Turkish ports the only scalable option. Turkey, then, will decide whether the corridor lives up to its promise. But the border between Armenia and Turkey remains closed and is likely to stay that way until a final peace deal is signed—and the price is likely to go up if Armenia does not change its constitution.
Until the promised regional super-highway opens, the only real costumer for this short corridor is Baku. Given this uncertainty, early entrants in this project may pursue short-term benefits to themselves, such as taking exorbitant loans on favourable terms, using construction contracts to obtain more loans from interested banks, or quickly selling the concession to unknown third parties. Each step in this cut-and-run capitalism will create opportunities for graft, inefficiency and manipulation.
European money can be the key to guarantee the corridor’s success. With their knowledge of the issues and the preparatory work they have done already, Europeans can ensure transparency, which will be critical to avoiding capture by predatory states. Fossil fuel states from the Arab Gulf and central Asia may have deep pockets, but they have little ability to hold off Russia and Iran, while from my experience in both government and the private sector it seems very unlikely that the US Development Finance Company could quickly commit enough funds to support a project on this scale.
If the corridor fails to develop into a global network soon, it will then be of interest almost exclusively to Azerbaijan. This will tempt Moscow-dependent and hardline Armenian officials to use it as leverage in relations with Azerbaijan. Things could come to this point in a year or two, when Azerbaijan might claim US acquiescence in securing the corridor.
The responsibility to protect the corridor seems to be falling through the cracks among the multiple players
This points to a final problem: the responsibility to protect the corridor seems to be falling through the cracks among the multiple players. Based on private conversations, US troops might be deployed to protect US commercial interests there, if they exist by then. While this sounds like the late-19th-century gunboat diplomacy that appeals to Trump, such a move seems unlikely. It would be unwise for a business to assume that an anti-intervention president would send US troops into territory where Russia, Iran, Turkey and now the twice-victorious Azerbaijan can escalate quickly.
European capital(s)
Even though London, Berlin and Paris have been active behind the scenes, Washington has now taken centre stage on this issue. The reality is that Baku and Yerevan do not see Europe as enough counterweight to Russia.
This should lead Europe to reassess its tools for engaging with conflicts on its borders. European gas purchases from and arms sales to Azerbaijan far outweigh the assistance, tentative enlargement offers and arms sales to Armenia. Even Paris, which has strongly supported Armenia, sought to soften its posture toward Azerbaijan this year.
If peace is achieved and the corridor opens, however, then Europe’s experience with economic integration will become increasingly relevant, as will its newfound military strength.
The Washington ceremony is a material step toward peace. It crystallises American involvement and highlights the two countries’ aspirations for peace—two things that had been known but not fully acknowledged. But the underlying cause of the conflict has not been resolved, just postponed, and the event excluded parties who will try to get what they want in the meantime.
US special envoys Tom Barrack and Steve Witkoff will need to work quickly. Europe can play a key role in designing and financing the corridor, positioning itself to help mitigate some of the risks identified here.
*The author of this piece was in the Biden administration team that worked on the current peace framework.
The European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. ECFR publications only represent the views of their individual authors.
Rosemarie and Millicent said the extra charge for a wider burial plot was “discrimination”
The planned introduction by a council of a so-called “fat tax” for wider burial plots at one of its cemeteries has been criticised by residents and a funeral director.
At Danescourt cemetery in Tettenhall, City of Wolverhampton Council had previously said families would be charged £2,700 if they need to buy a 6ft wide plot, a 20% increase on the cost of a standard 5ft grave.
Funeral director Ross Hickton labelled it a “fat tax”.
Following the BBC investigation, a spokesperson for the local authority said on Thursday afternoon that it had decided “not to proceed with the plans”.
It had previously defended the move, saying that it was responding to an increase in demand for larger graves, with obesity rates of 33.3% in the city compared with a national average of 25.9%, according to a 2021 survey.
Local authorities in Telford, Birmingham, Walsall, Coventry and Staffordshire have already implemented charges for wider coffins.
Wolverhampton resident Rosemarie McLaren had said she felt the planned move was “discrimination, it’s not acceptable”.
“Someone like me who’s a bit bigger, is going to be charged [more] because I’m fat,” she added.
Wolverhampton City Council opened a dedicated section for 6ft burial plots at Danescourt cemetery in Tettenhall
The decision to create a new dedicated section at Danescourt for larger coffins was taken by councillors in May.
A spokesperson said the authority had contacted 25 funeral directors who serve the city to ask for their thoughts and 10 responded, with one objection.
But Mr Hickton, from Hickton Family Funeral Directors, an independent company with seven branches across the West Midlands, said the consultation was “meaningless” and “didn’t involve the public at all”.
“Essentially it’s a fat tax,” he said.
“You know people have paid into the system their entire life, paid their council tax to Wolverhampton Council, and for them to be told [the grave is] 20% more because of the size of their loved one, it’s not really acceptable or fair.”
Funeral director Ross Hickton said it was not acceptable for families to have to pay more for a grave if their relative was overweight or obese
Speaking before the council backed down on the proposals, Matthew Crawley, chief executive at the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, said the charge seemed reasonable.
“You have a finite amount of space to work with; therefore if you need to eat into a grave next door, say, then that needs to be accounted for,” he said.
“You also have to account for the idea that digging the grave itself will also need extra equipment to keep it safe.”
On the term “fat tax”, he said: “Would it be more reasonable to maybe look at that as a concessionary fee for appropriate land usage?”
He said the charges were in place in other areas and it was a change in response to the population in general getting larger and not wanting to turn people away as a result.
Matthew Crawley, from the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, said they have to take into account the rate of obesity in the UK
Another Wolverhampton resident, Selena Harris, who lives in the city with her young family, was worried how people would afford it.
“It doesn’t seem right, especially in a deprived area.” she said.
Ms Harris believed the council wanted to introduce the extra charges “to [try] and recoup costs, because councils are struggling at the moment”.
Selena Harris said she was worried about how people would manage to pay the extra costs
The council strenuously denied the claim.
It had earlier told the BBC it was introducing the changes “because there is a need for it” and the extra costs reflected “the increased costs incurred in providing them, including disposing of the additional soil”.
“Many other local councils, including Birmingham and Walsall, charge higher fees for larger graves”, a spokesperson had said, adding that costs for wider burial plots in Wolverhampton were similar or cheaper than in neighbouring authorities.
However, on Thursday afternoon the local authority’s position changed, saying that “no formal decision was ever taken on plans to charge more for larger burial plots”.
It said extra charges were a “common practice taken by councils around the country where higher charges cover the costs of providing a larger plot”.
“However, while under consideration, we have decided not to proceed with the plans.”
The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors surveyed its members to ask if their local councils charged more for wider plots.
Of the 165 who replied, a quarter said yes.
The BBC contacted 27 local authorities in the West Midlands and just over a third said they charged more for wider burial plots.
However, not everyone the BBC spoke to was against the idea.
Russell Smallman, from Castlecroft, said: “There’s a lot of obesity these days.
“A lot of [people] bring it on themselves and they’re not interested in doing anything about it, so I don’t know whether you can sympathise really.”
Russell Smallman said he was sympathetic to the council’s plan
Mr Hickton, who is also the president of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, said other funeral firms he had spoken to also had concerns.
One firm asked the council what would happen if a couple wanted to be buried together but one was already in a standard grave at Danescourt and the other needed a wider plot in the bariatric section.
The BBC saw an email to the funeral directors which said families might ”have to consider burying the bariatric partner elsewhere, purchasing a second grave or exhuming the first partner to ensure they can be buried together”.
Mr Hickton added the plans to increase fees were also “an extra stress, burden and worry that a family really shouldn’t have to go through”.
The council did not respond specifically to that point, but in a statement to the BBC a spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring our bereavement services continue to provide dignity and accessibility for all families.”
Millions in Somalia face worsening hunger crisis – Daily Times
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HTC Corp., a global company with a focus on immersive technology, today announced the launch of a new line of wearable artificial intelligence-enabled eyewear, the Vive Eagle.
The new smart glasses enable users to access AI features, including voice assistance for photography and videography, music playback and photo-based translation. These capabilities are integrated into everyday eyewear frames with built-in cameras, speakers and microphones.
“Vive Eagle represents HTC’s newest exploration in the realm of intelligent living and personal wearables,” saidCharles Huang, senior vice president of HTC. “By combining our pursuit of design excellence with expertise in immersive user experiences, this product is more than just a pair of glasses — it’s a way to live life with greater freedom.”
HTC’s debut of the Eagle comes after Meta Platforms Inc. released its smart glasses with the AI-powered Oakley Meta HSTNthat ship with their own built-in AI assistant in June. Similarly, Apple Inc. and Google LLC have also outlined plans for AI-assisted intelligent eyewear.
The Vive Eagle weighs under 49 grams, putting them on the heavy side of comfortable glasses. The frame houses all of its AI computing technology and voice interaction capabilities, including the battery, which enables up to 36 hours of standby time and around 4.5 hours of continuous music playback.
Users can utilize magnetic fast charging to achieve up to 50% power in just 10 minutes. This feature allows users to quickly charge the glasses using a power bank or a phone.
The Eagle is equipped with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and an AI voice assistant that can connect to various AI chatbots, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
Wearers can speak aloud and trigger the AI assistant in the glasses with “Hey Vive, take a photo,” to capture what they see — allowing people to take pictures of anything they can see, including images of precious moments or photos of friends.
People can use Vive Eagle’s AI assistant to take notes, discover restaurant recommendations, deliver search results and provide commentary.
The glasses also support real-time translation in 13 languages, allowing people to translate content captured by the camera into spoken audio without having to open an app or use a phone. Supported languages include English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.
“We’re seeing growing demand for tech products that offer both functionality and a strong lifestyle aesthetic,” said James Chang, president of luxury eyewear retailer 2020EYEhaus. “Vive Eagle brings together beautiful design and practical features.”
The Vive Eagle is currently only available in Taiwan. HTC has not revealed when, or if, it will bring the smart glasses to the U.S. or Europe.
The smart glasses are priced at approximately $520. Pre-orders will be accepted from Aug. 14 to Aug. 31, with the glasses expected to arrive in stores on Sept. 1.
Image: HTC
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The Karachi police arrested a 37-year-old woman on Thursday who allegedly slaughtered her two young children in Defence Housing Authority (DHA).
“A lady killed her two children, who were eight and four years old, with a sharp knife due to a marital issue with her husband,” South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com, adding that police arrested the suspect and seized the murder weapon.
He added that the children’s bodies were recovered from a house on 10th Street off Khayaban-i-Mujahid with their throats slit.
“The suspect sent pictures to her ex-husband after killing the children,” he said, adding that the father then called the police. However, both children were found murdered when Darakhshan police arrived at the residence.
“The bodies were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for legal formalities,” DIG Raza said.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that the children’s throats were slit, which damaged vital structures and vessels in the neck, leading to their death. “Swabs have also been collected to rule out sexual violence,” she added.
A passerby told Dawn.com that a large group of police personnel, media persons and an ambulance were gathered outside the residence earlier today.
“I passed by a house and there were loads of cops, an Edhi ambulance and a DSNG of some channel … on the road that leads to Bahria,” she said.
“On the way back, there was one cameraman and another person still there. I asked them what happened. They said some woman murdered her two small children, had a mental disorder and was getting divorced or something.”
DIG Raza said that the suspect and her husband divorced last year. “The custody of the children was contested in court, which ruled in favour of the father,” he stated. “However, the mother was allowed to meet her children. On Wednesday night, the children stayed at her home in DHA, where she allegedly slaughtered them.”
The DIG said that the children’s father told police that the suspect was “emotionally disturbed” and that he had been financially supporting her.
During the initial probe, he said, it was found that the suspect met her husband in Karachi in 2012 and they subsequently married.
“The suspect enrolled at an institute in Karachi affiliated with a British university, but she did not graduate,” DIG Raza outlined. “She sometimes did minor jobs in the metropolis, but she had no regular employment.”
DIG Raza said that in her initial statement before investigators, the suspect stated she did not want to defend herself as there was “nothing logical or reasonable enough for the murder”.
“She said she woke up between 8:30 and 9am and saw her children having breakfast with her mother,” he explained. “She contacted her ex-husband, but she did not elaborate as to what transpired during their phone calls.
“She claimed that the children were telling her ‘to send them somewhere where they could not face such a situation, which she (the mother) was facing’,” he added
The DIG said that when asked whether her children were facing an “undesirable attitude” from their father, she did not elaborate.
“The woman admitted that she was taking medicines to treat psychiatric issues,” he said, adding that police suspected that she might be under the influence of drugs.
As many as 3,364 child abuse cases were reported from all four provinces, the Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan in the year 2024, according to a civil society report.
The report Cruel Numbers 2024 by Sahil was prepared based on data collected from 81 national and regional newspapers across the country.
“The objectives of the report is to present the data on the situation regarding violence against children (up to 18 years) in cases of sexual abuse, abduction/kidnapping, missing children, and child marriages,” it read.
Attendants union says there is still time to reach an agreement, as airline warns 100,000 passengers affected by Friday.
Air Canada says it is at an impasse with its negotiations with the union representing its flight attendants and has announced that it will be pausing all its flights on Saturday morning.
Air Canada said on Thursday it expects to cancel several dozen flights by day’s end and approximately 500 flights by the end of Friday, affecting 100,0000 passengers, in advance of a planned Saturday strike by its unionised flight attendants.
The Air Canada executives were speaking at a news conference that ended abruptly due to protests by union members donning placards.
Mark Nasr, chief operations officer at Air Canada, said the complexity of the carrier’s network, which operates more than 250 aircraft on flights to more than 65 countries, requires it to start winding down service now.
A strike would hit the country’s tourism sector during the height of summer travel and poses a new test for the governing Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney, which has been asked by the carrier to intervene and impose arbitration.
Air Canada and low-cost carrier Air Canada Rouge carry about 130,000 customers a day. Air Canada is also the foreign carrier with the largest number of flights to the US.
US carrier United Airlines, a code-share partner of Air Canada, said it has issued a travel waiver to help customers manage their travel plans.
Half of hourly rate for hours worked
The dispute hinges on the way airlines compensate flight attendants. Most airlines have traditionally paid attendants only when planes are in motion.
But in their latest contract negotiations, flight attendants in North America have sought compensation for hours worked, including for tasks like boarding passengers and waiting around the airport before and between flights.
The union said Air Canada had offered to begin compensating flight attendants for some unpaid work, but only at 50 percent of their hourly rate.
The airline said it had offered a 38 percent increase in total compensation for flight attendants over four years, with a 25 percent raise in the first year.
Restarting Air Canada’s operations would take a week to complete, Nasr told reporters in Toronto.
“It’s simply not the kind of system that we can start or stop at the push of a button,” he said. “So in order to have a safe and orderly wind down, we need to begin down.”
FlightAware data shows Air Canada has, thus far, cancelled only four flights as of Thursday morning.
Earlier in the day, Canadian Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu urged the country’s largest carrier and union to return to the bargaining table to reach a deal that could avert disruptions.
“I understand this dispute is causing a great deal of frustration and anxiety to Canadians who are travelling or worrying about how they will get home,” she said in a statement posted on X. “I urge both parties to put their differences aside, come back to the bargaining table and get this done now for the many travelers who are counting on you.”
An Air Canada plane taxis at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada [File: Carlos Osorio/Reuters]
A spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the carrier’s 10,000 flight attendants, said Air Canada negotiators are not bargaining and have not responded to a proposal they made earlier this week.
“We believe the company wants the federal government to intervene and bail them out.”
CUPE has previously said it opposes binding arbitration.
Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, chief human resources officer at Air Canada, said the carrier never left the table.
“We are still available to bargain at any time on the condition that the negotiation has substance,” she said.
It seems that the alt-pop girls are fighting after Lana Del Rey posted a song snippet taking aim at Ethel Cain.
In a post to her Instagram on Thursday (Aug. 14), Del Rey shared a video clip of herself with the caption “Track 13” and tagging producer Jack Antonoff, in which she calls out the “American Teenager” singer by name. “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post/ Think it’s cute re-enacting my Chicago pose,” she sings in the clip. Later in the snippet, she refers to “the most famous girl at the Waffle House.”
Fans were quick to dissect the new lyrics, pointing to the headline of a 2022 New York Times profile on Cain as the source of Del Rey’s “most famous girl at the Waffle House” line. Other fans clocked a since-deleted photo Cain shared with Salem member Jack Donoghue, and its similarities to a 2022 photo Del Rey took with him outside the Cook County Department of Corrections as the inspiration behind the “Chicago pose” line.
Del Rey herself appeared to weigh in on the cryptic lyrics in a since-deleted comment on a Pop Base Instagram post about the snippet. “I didn’t know who Ethel was until a few years ago — when someone brought to my attention the disturbing and graphic side-by-side images she would often put up of me next to unflattering creatures and cartoon characters making constant comments about my weight, I was confused at what she was getting at,” she wrote in the comment. “Then when I heard what she was saying behind closed doors from mutual friends and started inserting herself into my personal life I was definitely disturbed.”
Cain appeared to comment on the whole ordeal in a Instagram Stories post on Thursday morning, when she wrote “update: lana del rey has blocked ethel cain on instagram.”
Billboard has reached out to reps for Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain for comment.
Cain recently shared her long-awaited sophomore album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, and is currently touring North America in support of the new release. Del Rey, meanwhile, has been teasing new music during a series of recent live shows, including her unreleased track “57.5.” The singer previously released her singles “Bluebird” and “Henry, Come On” in 2025, though she has yet to announce official plans for her 10th studio album.
Louis Naidorf, the visionary architect behind the iconic Capitol Records Building, died Wednesday night of natural causes. He was 96. His death was confirmed by his longtime friend Mike Harkins. Naidorf’s distinctive approach to architectural design, blending logic with creativity and function with feeling, helped define the Los Angeles cityscape.
Though best known for the enduring Los Angeles landmark, which opened its doors in 1956 and was officially designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2006, Naidorf’s legacy spans far beyond the legendary circular tower, which was the world’s first round office building.
His notable body of work includes the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the now-demolished L.A. Memorial Sports Arena, the Beverly Center, the Beverly Hilton hotel, and the Ronald Reagan State Building. Beyond Los Angeles, he led the six-year restoration of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, and designed the Rancho Mirage residence of former President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford.
Naidorf’s architectural oeuvre also extends outside California’s borders. He designed Phoenix’s Valley National Bank building (now Chase Tower), the tallest structure in Arizona; and the Hyatt Regency Dallas and its adjacent Reunion Tower, a defining feature of the city’s skyline.
Born Louis Murray Naidorf on Aug. 15, 1928, in Los Angeles, he shaped his future with the same purposefulness and tenacity he brought to his buildings. His parents, Jack and Meriam Naidorf, both worked in the women’s clothing industry and often struggled financially. But young Naidorf, who was already sketching towns by age 8, was too busy dreaming about architecture to notice.
Lou Naidorf in front of the Capitol Records building, one of several Los Angeles landmarks he designed, to illustrate story on his retirement after 10 years as dean of architecture at Woodbury University.
(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
At 12, he began collecting architecture books, paying for them with his part-time job earnings. After receiving drafting tools for his 13th birthday, he approached local architect Sanford Kent and asked for a job. Impressed by his initiative, Kent mentored Naidorf, paying him out of pocket.
Naidorf later studied architecture at UC Berkeley. In his 1950 master’s thesis, Naidorf imagined a future in which computers would proliferate and become compact, eliminating the need for sprawling offices. To optimize space, he proposed a bold new concept — circular office buildings — unwittingly foreshadowing what would later become his most iconic project.
After graduating at the top of his class, and earning his master of architecture degree a year early, Naidorf skipped his commencement ceremony to interview at powerhouse architecture firm Welton Becket and Associates. He was hired on the spot.
Aerial drone view of the iconic and historic Capitol Records Building in Hollywood.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Three years later, at 24, he was entrusted with his first major assignment, the mysterious “Project X.” Shrouded in secrecy, Naidorf was given scant information other than the building’s dimensions and location. He had no idea that it would become the headquarters of Capitol Records. Yet struck by parallels between his thesis and the project’s relatively modest size, he applied the round shape to the building. He also aimed to design a “happy building,” both for its inhabitants and passersby.
Throughout his life, Naidorf often refuted the myth that the building was designed to resemble a stack of records. Even so, guided by his core principle of bringing joy to people, he would say, “If it makes people happy to think that, so be it.”
Known for his humor and humility, he would joke that Capitol Records-shaped birthday cakes inevitably collapsed because of a “structural flaw,” playfully suggesting a weakness in the building’s design, and he was endlessly amused by the building’s repeated destruction in disaster movies.
Devoted to mentoring the next generation of architects, Naidorf served as a guest professor at UCLA, USC, Cal Poly Pomona and SCI-Arc. In 1990, he became a full-time academic, starting as chair and later becoming dean of Woodbury University’s School of Architecture, where he earned multiple distinctions, including teacher and faculty member of the year honors.
He encouraged students to be well-rounded and curious about the world so they could connect with future clients on a human level, and to develop unique perspectives that would inform their designs.
Even as he rose to vice president, director of research, and director of design at his firm — and earned numerous honors including the AIA California Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 — he remained grounded, often saying real life happens outside buildings: sitting at cafés with friends or enjoying a day at the park.
An early photograph of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, another iconic building designed by Naidorf.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Naidorf’s deep humanity, reflected in the title of his now out-of-print 2018 memoir, “More Humane: An Architectural Memoir,” extended to all living things, including doting on his 13-year-old cat, Ziggy Starburst, with whom he shared a birthday — and even small creatures in distress, like a dying bee that he found on his kitchen floor that he carried outside to die, as he put it, “with dignity in nature,” and a snail with a broken shell in his yard that he gently tended to.
A voracious reader, Naidorf was especially fond of science magazines and pondering the cosmos. He also enjoyed classical music. A lifelong traveler, he visited Canada, Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan, and made more than two dozen trips to Europe.
In 2000, drawn by Northern California’s beauty, Naidorf relocated to Santa Rosa, where he worked as a campus architect for Woodbury University and collaborated with City Vision Santa Rosa to enhance the downtown.
Though he retired at 87, he kept his architecture license active, taking his renewal exams every year. Holding the oldest active license in California, issued in 1952, he vowed to be buried as a licensed architect — and so he shall be.
Twice divorced and twice widowed, Naidorf was married four times, and overcame cancer twice. He is survived by his daughter, Victoria, from his first marriage; four stepchildren from his fourth marriage, all of whom called him Dad; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
