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An increase in usage of e-scooters has led to an increase in road collisions involving e-scooters ... [+] riders and other road users, like pedestrians. Speed, age of rider, and acceleration are among the issues addressed in a new report that calls for the development of a single set of mandatory technical requirements for all e-scooters sold in the European Union “to replace the current patchwork of national requirements, and voluntary standards.” The report, “ Improving the Road Safety of E-scooters ,” was released earlier this month by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a Brussels-based independent non-profit organization, to promote common standards for e-scooter users that can be applied across the European Union. “E-scooters are now an established and popular way of getting around in urban areas in the EU,” Jenny Carson, co-author of the report, said in a statement. “However, they also come with a degree of risk that needs addressing more effectively than today.” The report was essential due to the increase in usage of e-scooters, which has led to an increase in road collisions involving e-scooters riders and other road users, like pedestrians, researchers said. Standards should be established soon, they added, as it takes years for new safety technologies and measures to be widely implemented. The safety standards recommended in the report include: a top speed limit of 20 km/h (12-13 mph), set at the factory; requirements for stability; minimum braking and maximum acceleration; front and rear brakes; an audible warning device (like a bell); front and rear lights; a minimum age of 16 for e-scooter riders; mandatory helmets; and a ban on riding after consuming alcohol or drugs. Elon Musk Apparently Just Became The No. 1 ‘Diablo 4’ Player In The World Stop Using Your Passwords—1Password And Google Warn Samsung’s Android 15 Decision—Bad News For Millions Of Galaxy S24, S23, S22 Owners While the European Union has some existing product regulations that apply to e-scooters, like rules covering machinery and batteries, there is no mandatory single standard for e-scooters covering factors like stability, maximum speed and braking performance, according to the report. However, several EU member states, including Germany and Spain, have developed their own national standards, and 11 European countries already require a 20 km/h maximum speed for e-scooters within their countries. Standards are important, the safety group said, as the EU currently has mandatory safety standards for new cars, vans and trucks, which include the fitting of automated emergency braking systems that can help prevent crashes with pedestrians and cyclists, but similar systems are not currently required to recognize e-scooter riders. Data is limited, but reported e-scooter-related deaths often involve alcohol, researchers said, noting that between half and two-thirds of those killed had consumed alcohol before riding. As a result, measures to address drunk-riding should include legal limits and appropriate levels of enforcement, they said. In Finland and Norway, for example, shared e-scooter providers are required to limit speed at night, or ban shared e-scooters during night hours, which resulted in a reduction in injuries. Safety issues surrounding e-scooter riders who take passengers and ride on pavement were also addressed in the report. In addition, lowering speed limits in urban areas is one of the main tools cities can use to reduce the risks for e-scooter users, and have been effective, researchers said. Drivers of cars, vans and trucks traveling at lower speeds are much less likely to kill e-scooter riders, pedestrians and cyclists. A new report, “Improving the Road Safety of E-scooters,” was released by the European Transport ... [+] Safety Council (ETSC) to promote common standards for e-scooter users that can be applied across the European Union. But in order to better understand and reduce the risk of death and serious injury, more crash data on e-scooter usage is needed, researchers said. For example, in some cases, police may not be called to the scene of a collision, so it may not be reported in national data. “With the right combination of a safer urban traffic environment, safer vehicles and safer rider behaviour, we can ensure that the roads are safer for e-scooter riders as well as cyclists and pedestrians,” Carson added. For more information, click here and here .Amazon targets influencer reviews on TikTok, YouTube, InstagramTHE Home office is spending £15 million on satellites which will be able to track migrants attempting to cross the Channel from space. Government contracts reveal that the department has forked out the huge sum for a deal with a global company which specialises in space operations. The Luton -based branch of Telespazio UK will provide enhanced surveillance for the Joint Maritime Security Centre which ensures the country can respond to “threats to security, law and order, and the marine environment”. It will improve the Home Office’ s ability to detect “dark targets” - which do not emit tracking data - such as ships used by criminals to smuggle goods, and tiny dinghies used by Channel migrants . Radar, hi-tech cameras and sensors have already been hired to provide 24/7 surveillance of those trying to cross the Channel in small boats. Figures show that so far this year 36,204 migrants have arrived in the UK on small boats, with more than 150,000 crossing from France since records began in 2018. read more on uk news A heavily redacted contract, published by the Government in December, shows that the contractor has to comply with the Officials Secret Act. The contract started in November and is due to run until next September, with a total value of £15 million. An order form reveals: “Maritime security is a key enabler to Homeland Security, surveillance of the Maritime domain for UK security requires a multi-layered approach. “Satellite surveillance products provide longer range coverage but lack persistence, whereas terrestrial sensors such as RADAR provide persistence at shorter ranges.” Most read in The Sun The aims of the new surveillance are listed as: “To identify vessels of interest (VOI) (especially dark targets), determine patterns of life (POL) and to enable cueing of other sensor capabilities and patrolling assets, to direct other capability/assets to the target VOI in order to undertake further surveillance or to intercept, therefore delivery of agreed products/analysis should be as near to real-time as is possible.” The contract includes a requirement for a bi-annual review of the technology to ensure that “innovation is at the leading edge of space sensing”. A Home Office spokesperson told The Sun: “The Joint Maritime Security Centre is harnessing cutting edge technology and capabilities to provide 24/7 monitoring of UK waters and ensure our borders are secure. “Effective use of satellites ensure we can play a key role in detecting ‘dark vessels’ at sea, such as those involved in illegal immigration, illegal fishing activities, drug smuggling, ship-to-ship transfers of goods and evading sanctions. “And in the channel, the UK is taking steps to tackle small boat crossings through our Border Security Command, recruiting more investigative officers and working more closely with our European partners to ensure the vile people smugglers are brought to justice.” Shadow Home Secretary and former Tory Technology Minister Chris Philp told The Sun: “Tracking the passage of illegal immigrants coming across the channel will make no difference if they are simply ushered to the UK shore and then put up in plush hotels at taxpayer expense. “This money would be better spent deporting illegal immigrants who make it to the UK. “The Labour Government is soft on illegal immigration - Channel crossings are up over 20 per cent since the election compared to the same time last year. “Labour was wrong to scrap the Rwanda deterrent before it even started. “I am committed to re-introducing a Rwanda-style removals deterrent.” He added: “The Labour Government should urgently adopt this plan to end the escalating numbers of illegal immigrants. “1,500 illegal immigrants have crossed the channel in the last four days. READ MORE SUN STORIES “This has to end.” The Sun contacted Telespazio UK for comment.
Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’Berlin: Tech billionaire Elon Musk caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of Welt am Sonntag’ s opinion editor in protest. Germany is to vote in an early election on February 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalise the country’s stagnant economy. Elon Musk has involved himself deeply in US politics - now he’s turned his attention to Germany. Credit: AP Musk’s guest opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag — a sister publication of POLITICO owned by the Axel Springer Group — published in German over the weekend, was the second time this month he supported the Alternative for Germany, or AfD . “The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country,” Musk wrote in his translated commentary. He went on to say the far-right party “can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality”. Loading The Tesla Motors chief executive also wrote that his investment in Germany gave him the right to comment on the country’s condition. The AfD is polling strongly, but its candidate for the top job, Alice Weidel, has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor because other parties refuse to work with the far-right party. An ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, the technology billionaire challenged in his opinion piece the party’s public image. “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk’s commentary has led to a debate in German media over the boundaries of free speech, with the paper’s own opinion editor announcing her resignation, pointedly on Musk’s social media platform, X. “I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag . I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print,” Eva Marie Kogel wrote. Eva Marie Kogel, the editor who quit in protest after her paper ran an Elon Musk opinion piece. Credit: Martin U. K. Lengemann The newspaper was also attacked by politicians and other media for offering Musk, an outsider, a platform to express his views, in favour of the AfD. Candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, of the Christian Democratic Union, said on Sunday that Musk’s comments were “intrusive and presumptuous”. He was speaking to the newspapers of the German Funke Media Group. Supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany political party hold a placard that reads: “Germany First!” at an AfD campaign rally in Thuringia. Credit: Getty Images Co-leader of the Social Democratic Party, Saskia Esken said that “Anyone who tries to influence our election from outside, who supports an anti-democratic, misanthropic party like the AfD, whether the influence is organised by the state from Russia or by the concentrated financial and media power of Elon Musk and his billionaire friends on the Springer board, must expect our tough resistance,” according to the ARD national public TV network. “In Elon Musk’s world, democracy and workers’ rights are obstacles to more profit,” Esken told Reuters. “We say quite clearly: Our democracy is defensible and it cannot be bought.” Musk’s opinion piece in the Welt am Sonntag was accompanied by a critical article by the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Jan Philipp Burgard. “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong,” Burgard wrote. A general view of The Reichstag, which houses the German lower House of Parliament or Bundestag. Snap elections are scheduled for February 23. Credit: Getty Images Responding to a request for comment from the German Press Agency, dpa, the current editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Ulf Poschardt, and Burgard — who is due to take over on January 1 — said in a joint statement that the discussion over Musk’s piece was “very insightful. Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression.” “This will continue to determine the compass of the “world” in the future. We will develop “ Die Welt ” even more decisively as a forum for such debates,” they wrote to dpa. AP, Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. EU Germany Elon Musk Most Viewed in World Loading
Overachievers collide when Georgia Tech, Vandy play in BirminghamOur community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Goalkeeper Andre Onana refused to dwell on Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Sunday, instead choosing to look ahead. United, despite taking a very early lead through Marcus Rashford, were unable to secure all three points in new head coach Ruben Amorim's first game in charge, being pegged back by a deflected strike from Omari Hutchinson. Onana made a couple of fine saves during the contest, the best of which saw him deny Liam Delap from close range prior to Hutchinson's...
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 pulled 0.5% higher Thursday after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up less than 0.1%. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend to do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. Treasury yields edged higher in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are climbing Thursday after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 was pulling 0.7% higher, as of 2:45 p.m. Eastern time, after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 532 points, or 1.2%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.2%. Nvidia's rise of 1.4% was the strongest force pushing the S&P 500 upward after yet again beating analysts’ estimates for profit and revenue. It also gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that topped most analysts’ expectations thanks to voracious demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Its stock initially sank in afterhours trading Wednesday following the release of the results. Some investors said the market might have been looking for Nvidia's revenue forecast to surpass expectations by even more. But its stock recovered in premarket trading Thursday, and Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said it was another “flawless” profit report provided by Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang, whom Ives calls “the Godfather of AI.” How Nvidia’s stock performs has tremendous impact because it’s quickly grown into Wall Street’s most valuable company at roughly $3.6 trillion. Its meandering up and down through the day dragged the S&P 500 and other indexes back and forth. The frenzy around AI is sweeping up other stocks, and Snowflake jumped 32.3% after reporting stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, whose platform helps customers get a better view of all their silos of data and use AI, also reported stronger revenue growth than expected. BJ’S Wholesale Club rose 9.1% after likewise delivering a bigger profit than expected. That may help calm worries about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. A day earlier, Target tumbled after reporting sluggish sales in the latest quarter and giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart , which gave a much more encouraging outlook. Nearly 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 were also rising, and the gains were even bigger among smaller companies. The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped a market-leading 1.9%. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, helped keep indexes in check. It fell 5.5% after U.S. regulators asked a judge to break up the tech giant by forcing it to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser. In a 23-page document filed late Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice called for sweeping punishments that would include restrictions preventing Android from favoring its own search engine. Regulators stopped short of demanding Google sell Android but left the door open to it if the company’s oversight committee continues to see evidence of misconduct. Drops for other Big Tech stocks also weighed on the market, including a 2.4% slide for Amazon. In stock markets abroad, shares of India’s Adani Enterprises plunged 22.6% Thursday after the U.S. charged founder Gautam Adani, 62, in a federal indictment with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. The businessman and one of the world’s richest people is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company’s huge solar energy project on the subcontinent was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme. Indexes elsewhere in Asia and Europe were mixed. In the crypto market, bitcoin eclipsed $99,000 for the first time before easing back to roughly $98,250, according to CoinDesk. It’s more than doubled so far this year, and its climb has accelerated since Election Day. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to make the country “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. Bitcoin also got a boost after Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission who has pushed for more protection for crypto investors, said he would step down in January . Bitcoin and related investments, of course, have a notorious history of big price swings in both directions. MicroStrategy, a company that's been raising cash expressly to buy bitcoin, saw an early gain of 14.6% for its stock on Thursday quickly disappear. It was most recently down 10.7%. In the oil market, a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 2% to bring its gain for the week to 4.8%. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 1.8%. Oil has been rising amid escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war. In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher following some mixed reports on the U.S. economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.43% from 4.41% late Wednesday. One report said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week in the latest signal that the job market remains solid. Another report, though, said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly shrank. Sales of previously occupied homes, meanwhile, strengthened last month by more than expected. ___ AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Yuri Kageyama contributed. Stan Choe, The Associated PressThe Intelligent Investor: Timeless Principles for Financial Success Brief About the Book and Author
Heron Therapeutics Announces Corporate Headquarters Relocation to Cary, North Carolina
Canada Carbon (CVE:CCB) Stock Price Down 33.3% – Here’s What HappenedA pair of teams vying to put a stamp on overachieving campaigns will meet as Georgia Tech squares off with Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday in Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Tech (7-5) is appearing in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since an 18-year run from 1997-2014, and a win would give the Yellow Jackets consecutive bowl wins for the first time in 20 years. For a Georgia Tech program that endured a 14-32 stretch from 2019-22, this season has given Yellow Jacket fans a reason to believe a resurgence is near. After knocking off No. 10 Florida State in the season opener, Georgia Tech climbed into the AP Poll for the first time in nine years. Although it was a short stay in the rankings, head coach Brent Key's team piqued the nation's interest again in November, when it took down undefeated No. 4 Miami, 28-23. The Yellow Jackets had another chance to shake up the college football landscape against then-No. 7 Georgia, but blew a late 14-point lead en route to an eight-overtime defeat. Now with one more opportunity against the Southeastern Conference, Key thinks the bowl organizers nailed this one on the head. "We're excited to go over to Birmingham and play a really good opponent," Key said. "I think this is a really good matchup. When you look at bowl games, that's what you look for, the matchups. And I think they got this one right." Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King's 1,910 passing yards and 22 total touchdowns (11 passing, 11 rushing) have steadied the offense throughout the year, but the Yellow Jackets will be without their leading receiver, Eric Singleton Jr., who entered the transfer portal after the regular season and signed with Auburn on Monday. Starting defensive lineman Romello Height also transferred, meaning a next-man-up mentality will be in order for Key's squad. "One person is not going to make a difference as far as rotational depth," Key said. "We're going to continue to coach the guys that are here, and prepare them not only for this game but for the rest of their careers here at Georgia Tech." Singleton paced Georgia Tech with 754 receiving yards to go along with four total touchdowns, while Height tallied 2 1/2 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. It wouldn't have surprised many college football pundits had Vanderbilt missed the postseason for a sixth straight year. The Commodores (6-6) were predicted last by a wide margin in the SEC preseason poll coming off last year's winless conference slate. However, the program's historic season can now be punctuated with its first bowl win in 11 years, thanks to a shocking Oct. 5 victory over No. 1 Alabama, along with its first win all-time at Auburn. Led by head coach Clark Lea, the revamped Commodores see a similar program on Friday in Birmingham. "Georgia Tech is a team I've taken notes on as Brent has built that program up," Lea said. "What an incredible transformation they've had; so much respect for them. ... This is our 10th bowl game in 134 years, it's a chance for our first winning season since 2013. You're going to have two teams that play a physical brand of football, two head coaches that care deeply about the institutions we represent. "These are two teams that are going to fight for a win and I don't think it gets better than that." The Commodores are led by quarterback Diego Pavia, who had 2,133 passing yards and 17 touchdowns in the air, paired with 716 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State -- and New Mexico Military Institute at the juco level -- won a court ruling last week that granted him a seventh year of eligibility in 2025. --Field Level Media
Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB), the selector of top executives in public sector banks and financial institutions, on Sunday, November 24, 2024, recommended Binod Kumar for the position of Managing Director & CEO in Indian Bank. NSE "Keeping in view their performance in the interface, overall experience and the extant parameters, the Bureau recommends Shri Binod Kumar for the position of MD & CEO in Indian Bank," the FSIB statement said. FSIB had interviewed 15 candidates for the positions of MD and CEO in public sector banks, the head hunter said in a statement. "Financial Services Institutions Bureau interfaced with 15 candidates on November 24, 2024 for the forthcoming positions of Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) in Public Sector Banks (PSBs)." FSIB is headed by former secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Bhanu Pratap Sharma. Other members of the headhunter are Animesh Chauhan, former chairman and MD of erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce, RBI’s ex-executive director Deepak Singhal, and Shailendra Bhandari, former MD of erstwhile ING Vysya Bank. Also Read : Stocks to watch on Nov 25: Zomato, Adani stocks, Cochin Shipyard, RITES, RVNL and moreBY MELISSA GOLDIN Social media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general’s office, falsely claiming that it’s proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report’s finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events. Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so. Here’s a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A December 2024 report released by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General is proof that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a setup by the FBI. THE FACTS: That’s false. The report found that no undercover FBI employees were at the riot on Jan. 6 and that none of the bureau’s informants were authorized to participate. Informants, also known as confidential human sources, work with the FBI to provide information, but are not on the bureau’s payroll. Undercover agents are employed by the FBI. According to the report, 26 informants were in Washington on Jan. 6 in connection with the day’s events. FBI field offices only informed the Washington Field Office or FBI headquarters of five informants that were to be in the field on Jan. 6. Of the total 26 informants, four entered the Capitol during the riot and an additional 13 entered a restricted area around the Capitol. But none were authorized to do so by the FBI, nor were they given permission to break other laws or encourage others to do the same. The remaining nine informants did not engage in any illegal activities. None of the 17 informants who entered the Capitol or surrounding restricted area have been prosecuted, the report says. A footnote states that after reviewing a draft of the report, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington said that it “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol, which has resulted in the Office declining to charge hundreds of individuals; and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.” The assistant special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office’s counterterrorism division told the inspector general’s office that he “denied a request from an FBI office to have an undercover employee engage in investigative activity on January 6.” He, along with then-Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D’Antuono, said that FBI policy prohibits undercover employees at First Amendment-protected events without investigative authority. Many social media users drew false conclusions from the report’s findings. “JANUARY 6th WAS A SETUP!” reads one X post that had received more than 11,400 likes and shares as of Friday. “New inspector general report shows that 26 FBI/DOJ confidential sources were in the crowd on January 6th, and some of them went into the Capitol and restricted areas. Is it a coincidence that Wray put in his resignation notice yesterday? TREASON!” The mention of Wray’s resignation refers to FBI Director Christopher Wray’s announcement Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January. Other users highlighted the fact that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington on Jan. 6, but omitted key information about the findings of the report. These claims echo a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the Capitol in a violent clash with police. The report knocks that theory down. Wray called such theories “ludicrous” at a congressional hearing last year. Asked for comment on the false claims spreading online, Stephanie Logan, a spokesperson for the inspector general’s office, pointed The Associated Press to a press release about the report. In addition to its findings about the the FBI’s involvement on Jan. 6, the report said that the FBI, in an action its now-deputy director described as a “basic step that was missed,” failed to canvass informants across all 56 of its field offices for any relevant intelligence ahead of time. That was a step, the report concluded, “that could have helped the FBI and its law enforcement partners with their preparations in advance of January 6.” However, it did credit the bureau for preparing for the possibility of violence and for trying to identify known “domestic terrorism subjects” who planned to come to Washington that day. The FBI said in a letter responding to the report that it accepts the inspection general’s recommendation “regarding potential process improvements for future events.”
AP Business SummaryBrief at 4:40 p.m. EST
Warning: This post contains spoilers for “Gladiator II.” The image of a gladiator standing tall on top of a charging rhino flying through the Roman Colosseum became one of the shining moments of the “Gladiator II” trailer — but the idea actually took more than two decades to complete . Director Ridley Scott first came up with the idea to stage a man-versus-rhino fight for the original “Gladiator” film in 2000, but it was too dangerous to film with a real rhinoceros and too expensive to do with CGI, according to the “Gladiator II” press notes. It was when the film’s special effects supervisor Neil Corbould found old storyboards of the rhino fight that he and Scott decided to make the scene a reality for the sequel, which premiered in theaters on Nov. 22. “When I sat down with Ridley to talk about this film I said, ‘I’ve got something to show you,’ and pulled them out. And he said, ‘Let’s do it this time,’” Corbould recalled in the press notes. “Gladiator II” producer Douglas Wick said the team learned “a lot from the showmen of the ancient arena” when they researched the first film. “As we contemplated a sequel, we reached back 2,000 years for guidance on how to top ourselves,” Wick said, according to the press notes. “They had great answers. Enter the rhino.” But is a gladiator facing a charging rhino something that could have actually happened in the Roman Colosseum? What about fending off a pack of ferocious, starved baboons, like Lucius, played by Paul Mescal, does while he's handcuffed? Lauren D. Ginsberg, associate professor of classical studies and theater studies at Duke University, gives TODAY.com an inside look into the historical accuracy of the three gladiator battles in the film featuring some seemingly absurd animals. “The goal, of course, was to have the strangest animals you’ve ever seen,” Ginsberg says of the spectacles inside of the Colosseum. “And that can mean animals no one has ever seen.” “The idea was, especially for the Colosseum, the emperor can bring the whole Roman world to you,” Ginsberg, who was not involved in the film, continues. “And also every emperor has to do something flashier and more exciting and more innovative than the previous person.” So, enter the rhino. And baboons. But sharks? Surprisingly, only one of these animals was completely out of the question in the Roman Empire, Ginsberg says. Could gladiators fight rhinos? While rhinos could appear in Roman arenas, gladiators weren't actually fighting them, Ginsberg says. Other animals could be brought in to fight each other, or professionally trained athletes could hunt the animals, she explains. But rhinos were a fan favorite among the Romans long before the Colosseum was even built. “I think Julius Caesar was the first person that ever exhibited one, so even way before the Colosseum, because the Colosseum was built by the Flavian dynasty in the first century,” Ginsberg says. “Rhinoceroses had been staples, but they weren’t so common as to become boring. People were always still really excited when there was a rhinoceros.” Ginsberg thinks rhinos were so popular for two main reasons. “They look interesting, but also because they’re really angry creatures, or at least the way they were treated made them very angry in the arena, so they were often unpredictable, which was exciting,” she says. While rhinos were a big hit at the Colosseum and other Roman arenas, Ginsberg does say there is no evidence to support a gladiator would have ever ridden one, like in “Gladiator II.” “No one was riding these wild animals. And part of that is that these were highly trained, very valuable athletes, so you don’t actually want to put them in harm’s way,” she explains. What about baboons? In Lucius’ first encounter with animals in the Colosseum, he’s handcuffed along with several other prisoners and tasked with fighting off a slew of ravenous baboons. Wick, the film’s producer, explained that many of the scenes in the movie came directly from Scott’s mind. “We’d be in a meeting discussing some story problem when Ridley would divine a solution. He thinks visually. We were pondering how to dramatize Lucius’ anger as his superpower in the arena,” Wick said, according to the press notes. “Ridley started to sketch Lucius in mortal battle with a ferocious baboon.” In fact, Scott said he came up with the idea for the scene based on a real-life video of a baboon attack on a group of tourists in a parking lot in South Africa, according to the film's press notes. In the film, Lucius is not only able to fend off the baboons, but he eventually sinks his own teeth into one of the animals’ arms and spits out the furry flesh. Due to his victory against the primates, he transforms from a prisoner to a gladiator. “Suddenly there’s a new alpha in the fight,” Wick said of the scene. Ginsberg says monkeys were a possibility for gladiators to fight, but they were a relatively late development. “The one reference that I found was Antoninus Pius was, at that time, credited with giving, like, the biggest possible Roman games of all time, which every emperor got, so every time it had to be more,” she explains. “He brought monkeys from Africa, but they don’t seem to have been the highlight of that show,” she continues. “They were there, but they weren’t the most famous animals. He also had rhinoceroses. And people were more into them.” Other land animals Ginsberg found took part in gladiator battles include elephants, ostriches, bears, bulls, lions, leopards, tigers, panthers and more. Ginsberg spoke of a large industry throughout the Roman Empire dedicated to locating exotic animals and transporting them back to the emperor, as well as teams of trainers and caretakers who kept the animals alive — and ready to fight. “There was a whole industry of people from, like, the moment you decided, ‘I want an elephant from Africa,’ that would be in charge of getting it, storing it, transporting it on a boat, getting it to where it needs to be, under the Colosseum, making sure it doesn’t die, and then making sure it’s ready to go out and give people the show that you want,” she says. The baboon scene is also a great example of how differently gladiators were treated from prisoners, according to Ginsberg. “Gladiators would never be handcuffed because they’re prized athletes. You came to watch them fight, and so handcuffing them would just not be interesting,” she explains. “But prisoners, you absolutely wanted them to have no escape, and you also wanted them to die in the most dehumanizing way possible.” “As I tell my students, the Romans are jerks. Very interesting, but they’re jerks,” she adds. Sharks? In one of Lucius' clashes, the Colosseum is filled with water — and man-eating tiger sharks — as dozens of gladiators fight for their lives on ships in a staged naval battle. Ginsberg says that sharks would have never been in the Colosseum, or any ancient Roman amphitheater. “I’m willing to stake my reputation on this,” she says through laughter. “I actually have no proof that the Romans even knew what sharks were,” she adds. “There aren’t a lot of sharks in the Mediterranean — it’s not a very common creature ... but I racked my brain trying to think of anyone in the classical world that actually talks about sharks.” Ginsberg did say that if the Romans knew that something like a great white or a hammerhead shark existed, and could find a way to transport it (Ginsberg notes there was unlikely to be any technology at the time to support such a journey), they would have “been all about it.” “They would have thought that was fantastic, and absolutely would have used them all the time, because they especially like sea creatures,” she says. “But for sure, no.” Ginsberg says there is evidence to support that some semiaquatic animals, like crocodiles and seals, were used in battles, as it was possible for the Colosseum to be filled with water. She cites works from Martial, a Roman poet who described watching reenactments of Roman naval engagements, as well as evidence of pipes and drains in the Colosseum itself that seems to suggest water could have been both brought in and removed. “I think the estimates are, like, five hours to fill it and four hours to drain it,” she says. Ginsberg adds that prisoners were the most likely to be used in these staged historical mock battles, which mainly showed Rome being triumphant against an easily stereotyped culture, often with exotic costumes. “Those would not be professional gladiators. Those would often be condemned prisoners, because the idea would be that most of those people would drown and die, right? So you didn’t want your top sports athletes doing that,” she says. “But I don’t there would be, like, extra danger in the water, like sharks or other creatures.”Kemi Badenoch ‘driving 6,000 to join Reform UK each day’Officials have positively identified the remains of a girl whose body was found hidden in brush under a plastic tarp in 1973, Pennsylvania authorities said this week, according to NBC News . The remains belong to Ruth Elizabeth Brenneman, 14, Pennsylvania State Police Sgt. Josh Lacey told reporters at a news conference Wednesday. Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Two game wardens found the decomposed remains of a young girl in a wooded area of Lebanon County on Oct. 10, 1973, approximately 47 miles from Brenneman's home in York County, Lacey said. It couldn't be determined how she died. Officials have spent the last 50 years attempting to identify the girl, Lacey said. In another effort to identify her, officials, with the help of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, exhumed the girl's body from Mount Lebanon Cemetery in May 2016. Finally, the positive identification was made last month after her remains were examined at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Lacey said she was identified using genealogy. "As a result of their efforts, this young female will no longer be known as Jane Doe," Lacey said. Identifying the body is a "huge step in this investigation," State Trooper Ian Keck said. "We have to know about the victim and their everyday life, who they associated with and their different activities." Brenneman was last seen "after she left for school and never returned home," Lacey said. Officials are looking into whether she made it to school that day. They are also trying to determine whether Brenneman was considered missing and on what day she went missing, Keck said. "Just because we identified her today that doesn't end our investigation," Keck said. "We're going to do our best and put our best foot forward here to come to a conclusion." Anyone who knew Brenneman or knows anything about her is asked to contact Pennsylvania State Police. Lacey declined to say whether there is a person of interest in the case and couldn't say for sure whether it was a homicide, as that is still "pending" with the coroner's office. He did say there was "some level of suspicion" to Brenneman's death "given the fact she was found underneath a tarp in some brush." Brenneman's family, in a statement read by Lacey, said her identification "has provided us with some closure on questions that have lingered for the past 51 years." This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News:
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