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Irish Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
As an Irish person in Australia there is one question I'm always asked
'Are you staying or going?' It's the sort of question someone asks you when you're fretting indecisively inside the half-open door of a pub on a very cold Sunday afternoon. They were peacefully enjoying their carvery, but now they're getting slapped on the back of the neck by a frozen, metallic wind and your indecision is an unpleasant distraction. It isn't entirely a real question; it's not the sort that seeks an answer. Really, it is a statement. A nudge. A prompt for you to go out or come in, but to cease loitering in liminal places, letting in the chill and making people uncomfortable. As an emigrant to Australia , and an Irish immigrant in Australia, I have been asked this question in countless contexts since the big move. My cat's vet asked, 'Are you staying or going?' when she wanted to know which vaccinations the cat might need. My aunt and uncle asked, 'Are you staying or going?' because they might hope we'd come home, but also because it is anathema to their generation to be always gallivanting over the earth and not settling in one place to lead a meaningful and happy life amid familiar people and familiar surroundings. My brother wonders (but is too polite to ask), 'Are you staying or going?' because he worries, as a good brother generally must, that I'm far away and have lived in three countries in the past eight years. I imagine he wonders whether this scenario emerges from a desire to live in this way, or a necessity to do so. READ MORE As a person living in Canberra, the Australian capital, where politics is done but culture is mostly a government initiative rather than an organic and emergent feature of life the way it is in other capital cities, transience is standard. People in the military are here for temporary postings. They stay a year or so and then they move on. Public servants do this too. Diplomats and politicians, spooks and consultants and journalists and attachés. While it does, of course, have a fixed population, many of whom provide services to and for the more transient inhabitants of Canberra, the city is considered by many Australians as an unexciting place to live. [ Emigration: 'From a distance, I have relearned how to be Irish' Opens in new window ] At a bit over two hours' drive away, Sydney is the place those with time and means escape to at every opportunity. The centre of Canberra empties out at weekends and on holidays. When you meet a new person here, they generally presume you're not here forever. For this reason, it can be a challenging place to put down roots. An Irish person I was chatting with once referred to the city as 'a backwater', which I found interesting. 'Who would want to live there?' he asked me, scoffing pompously, asking another question that isn't a question. 'Well,' I considered, 'anyone who perhaps wants to live in decent, affordable rental accommodation without housemates in their 30s. Anyone who is weary of the frenzied overcrowding in big European cities with terrible, oversubscribed public services, or who wants a safe place where it's possible to both work and raise children. Anyone who wants to access medical care when they need it or to see a GP who remembers them each time they go in. Or anyone who wants a quiet, slow pace of life. Anyone like that, really.' Yet, 'Are you staying or going?' isn't just an annoying question that other people ask you as an emigrant. It's the annoying question that you ask yourself. Unless things at 'home' (wherever a person's home may be) are very bad indeed, nobody thinks to ask a person who has always lived in their native country whether they'll stay there. Most people stay vaguely where they originate unless there's a powerful external reason to go. The Famine did it for us, as have consecutive crises and economic downturns and incompetent governments. [ These days, the emigration experience is both alien and familiar at the same time Opens in new window ] Once you've gone, though, it's another matter. There will always be the people who want you home again, but the act of leaving once generates the possibility of leaving again. If you can leave home, you can leave anywhere. You can, theoretically speaking, live anywhere if you meet the criteria and they'll let you in (easier said than done, of course, but you get my point). The real upheaval of emigration is the way that it reorients your relationship to where you live and have lived. When my grandfather's father, who was born in Australia to Irish parents, made the decision along with his younger brother to return to Ireland, it was a one-way trip. They would have understood the irrevocable magnitude of that decision. Then, you emigrated once, and you lived out that decision no matter what it meant for you. The people you left behind were people you would probably never see again. Now, things are different. Many Irish people who have emigrated to Australia in previous waves have done so with every intention of coming home again, and a lot of them did. We accept a stint in Australia as an Irish rite of passage, but we feel tender about those who don't return. The present wave going to Australia have little incentive to come home again, sadly. [ Ireland's grocery prices are still soaring. How can that be? Opens in new window ] Modern living offers no permanence. No job stability that resembles anything like that our parents had. A cost of living all over the western world that limits people's option to live where they might ideally choose, whether that place is 'home' or not. But I have been long enough in Australia now to feel the question simmering with an urgency it didn't hold before – 'Am I staying or going?' At some point, if the intention is to settle, then you have to start doing that. If it isn't, then you need to consider what life might look like in two or more years, what you'd like to be doing with it, and what is achievable in your circumstances. Eventually, it stops being a nudge and becomes a real question in need of a serious answer. Sign up to The Irish Times Abroad newsletter for Irish-connected people around the world. Here you'll find readers' stories of their lives overseas, plus news, business, sports, opinion, culture and lifestyle journalism relevant to Irish people around the world If you live overseas and would like to share your experience with Irish Times Abroad, you can use the form below, or email abroad@ with a little information about you and what you do. Thank you
Fibre2Fashion
6 days ago
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Canada's Roots' Q1 FY25 sales climb 6.7%, net loss narrows to $5.85 mn
Canadian premium outdoor-lifestyle brand Roots has posted total sales of Ca$40 million (~$29.6 million) in the first quarter (Q1) of fiscal 2025 (FY25), ended May 3, an increase of 6.7 per cent year-over-year (YoY). Meanwhile, direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales rose 10.2 per cent to Ca$34.6 million (~$25.6 million), driven by a 14.1 per cent increase in comparable sales fuelled by enhanced product curation and improved customer experience. The gross profit of the company climbed to Ca$24.6 million, with the overall gross margin expanding 250 basis points (bps) to 61.5 per cent. DTC gross margin rose to 62.9 per cent, reflecting better product costing and reduced discounting, partly offset by foreign exchange pressures and increased freight costs. Roots has reported Q1 FY25 sales of Ca$40 million (~$29.6 million), up 6.7 per cent YoY, with DTC sales rising 10.2 per cent to Ca$34.6 million (~$25.6 million). The gross margin improved to 61.5 per cent, net loss narrowed to Ca$7.9 million (~$5.85 million) and inventory rose 14.5 per cent. Executives cited strong brand momentum, and AI-led operational improvements driving continued growth. Wholesale and partner-operated (P&O) sales dropped to Ca$5.4 million, as international partners adjusted inventory levels. However, this decline was partially offset by robust growth in China's Tmall e-commerce channel and other lines of business within the segment, Roots said in a press release. The company reported a net loss of Ca$7.9 million (~$5.85 million) or Ca$0.20 per share, improving from a loss of Ca$8.9 million or Ca$0.22 per share in Q1 FY24. Excluding the impact of share-based compensation, the net loss was Ca$7.4 million. Adjusted EBITDA amounted to a loss of Ca$7.1 million, an improvement of 10.7 per cent YoY when excluding the compensation impact. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses increased to Ca$33.3 million, up 4.1 per cent YoY, primarily due to higher marketing investments and a Ca$0.5 million unfavourable revaluation of share-based compensation instruments. Excluding this, the increase was 2.6 per cent. The company's inventory rose 14.5 per cent to Ca$40.5 million, reflecting restocking of core collections and increased in-transit goods. Free cash flow was negative at Ca$21.8 million, mainly due to inventory investments and occupancy cost timing. Net debt stood at Ca$29.6 million, improving from Ca$31.7 million. As of May 3, 2025, the leverage ratio was 1.3x, with Ca$40.6 million drawn under credit facilities and total liquidity of Ca$65.9 million. 'Our first-quarter results, marking the third consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth in sales, gross margin, and adjusted EBITDA, speaks to the growing resonance of the Roots brand and the discipline with which we are executing our strategic priorities,' said Meghan Roach, president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Roots . 'From elevated marketing to improved product availability and AI-operational enhancements, we drove meaningful gains across key performance metrics. As we begin 2025, I am proud of how our team continues to innovate and deliver value, while navigating consumer preferences and the evolving retail landscape.' 'Our first quarter results reflect our ongoing commitment to balance top-line growth with cost discipline to improve long-term profitability and operating leverage,' said Leon Wu, chief financial officer (CFO) at Roots . 'With a strong balance sheet, we are well-positioned to opportunistically respond to shifting market conditions while sustaining our current momentum.' Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Sinar Daily
10-06-2025
- Sinar Daily
Caprice exposes child exploitation ring on Facebook, triggers national fury
SHAH ALAM – A Facebook group sharing explicit content involving underage children has triggered national outrage after social media personality, Caprice exposed its existence through a series of Instagram posts. With over 12,000 members, the group, believed to be active since 2014, has been condemned for its disturbing focus on school-aged children. In a strong response posted on her Instagram account, Mek Yun called on fellow Malaysians to take immediate action on the criminally dangerous group. Photo: Instagram / @mekyunn Social media influencer and actress Mek Yun, who discovered her old school photos were shared in the group, has joined Caprice in demanding speedy action. Caprice took to Instagram to reveal the existence of a Facebook group named 'Group Budak2 Sekolah Rendah,' where members share indecent content involving school children, particularly girls in uniform. Caprice stated that the group, which has now surpassed 12,000 members, openly features inappropriate comments and lewd discussions by adult men, including senior citizens. 'Admin, surrender yourself at the police station within 48 hours. If you do, I won't expose the faces of the group members, including the admin. Don't think we can't trace you...' Caprice posted in a recent Instagram Story. His investigations also revealed that the Facebook group has been active for over a decade and was run by two individuals: a man and a woman. Even more disturbing, the group was set to 'public,' making the vile content accessible to anyone online. Caprice confirmed he had lodged a report with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and had also tagged the police force as well as the Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil, for further action. 'I've reported it to @skmm_mcmc @fahmifadzil. God willing they will act quickly. The admin should just surrender at the police station as soon as possible. If the authorities come to your doorstep, it's going to be a big problem,' he shared in his Instagram Story. Many of the posts featured graphic language and deeply concerning remarks, with members making sexually suggestive comments on photos of schoolgirls. Mek Yun was among the individuals whose old school photos were found in the group. In a strong response posted on her Instagram account, Mek Yun called on fellow Malaysians to take immediate action on the criminally dangerous group. 'Let's all tag @pdrmsia_official @skmm_mcmc and YB @fahmifadzil.1 together. 'I'm also asking everyone to share this video and report the 'Budak2 Sek Rendah' group on Facebook. Let's destroy this group. Don't give them any chance at all to do what they want. Because this should NEVER be normalised,' her post read. Mek Yun also spoke about society's moral responsibility to protect children from such exploitation. 'Who else is going to protect those kids and our children if not us?' she asked. Public reaction has been swift and fierce, with social media users flooding the comments sections on Caprice's and Mek Yun's posts to express disgust, support and determination to see justice served. Many rallied around the noble actions of those who brought the issue to light. 'The older one gets, the closer they should be to God, not chasing lust like mad,' a commenter posted. 'Good job Caprice, fast action on this issue. Serves those old perverts right,' a comment read on Caprice's Instagram post. 'If all you think about is what's below the waist, how are you different from an animal?' an enraged comment read. Despite the overwhelming backlash and exposure, no official statement has been issued by the police or relevant authorities on follow-up action at the time of press. The public continues to tag official bodies, demanding that legal action be taken against the administrators and members of the group.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Google takes a gamble in class action jury trial over cell phone data use
HighlightsGoogle is facing an $800 million lawsuit in Santa Clara County, California, from Android smartphone users who claim the company misappropriates their cellphone data, affecting an estimated 14 million Californians. The plaintiffs allege that Google secretly transmits data over cellular networks even when devices are turned off, which they argue improperly consumes purchased data from mobile carriers without user consent. Despite Google's history of settling class actions, the company is opting for a trial, disputing the plaintiffs' claims that they have a property interest in cellular data allowances and arguing that no actual losses were incurred. Class actions rarely go to trial, which is why a case against Google is proving to be an outlier. The tech giant is defending itself before a jury in Santa Clara County, California, superior court in an $800 million lawsuit by Android smartphone users who say Google misappropriates their cellphone data. A jury of eight women and four men was seated on Tuesday in what lawyers say is expected to be a three-to-four-week trial, with opening statements kicking off on Wednesday. The stakes are high, but the class, which includes an estimated 14 million Californians whose mobile devices use Google's Android operating system, is in some ways just an appetizer. The same plaintiffs lawyers from Korein Tillery; Bartlit Beck and McManis Faulkner are litigating a parallel case in San Jose federal court covering Android users in the other 49 states, with billions of dollars in alleged damages. The plaintiffs in court papers say that even when their phones are turned off, Google causes Android devices to surreptitiously send information over cellular networks "for Google's own purposes," including targeted digital advertising. These transfers improperly eat up data that users purchase from their mobile carriers, the plaintiffs allege. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said the claims "mischaracterize standard industry practices that help protect users and make phones more reliable," he told me. "We look forward to making our case in court." A unit of Mountain View, California-based Alphabet, Google has a well-used playbook for settling class actions. Earlier this week, for example, the company agreed to pay $500 million to resolve shareholder litigation - a move that comes on the heels of a $50 million deal in May to resolve class-wide allegations of racial bias against Black employees and a $100 million payout in March to a proposed class of advertisers who claimed they were overcharged for clicks on ads. So why is Google taking this case to trial? In court papers, Google's outside counsel from Cooley argue that Android users incurred no actual losses, and that consumers consented to Google's so-called "passive" data transfers via terms of service agreements and device settings. The lawyers also dispute the fundamental premise of the case: that cellular data allowances can be considered "property" under California law and subject to conversion, a civil cause of action that involves taking a person's property without permission. When the "rhetoric and hyperbole are set aside, Plaintiffs' theory is revealed as little more than a (misguided) product design claim - not wrongful conversion," defense counsel wrote. The Cooley team, which includes Whitty Somvichian, Michael Attanasio, Max Bernstein and Carrie Lebel, declined comment. The plaintiffs sued Google in Santa Clara County Superior Court in 2019, asserting that they have a property interest in their cellular plans' data allowances, and that each quantum they pay for has a market value. They don't object to data transmissions when they're actively engaged with Google's apps and properties, like checking email or playing a game. But they say Google never told them it would avail itself of their cellular data when they weren't using their phones to send and receive a range of information on their usage. "The upshot is that these phone users unknowingly subsidize the same Google advertising business that earns over $200 billion a year," plaintiffs lawyer George Zelcs of Korein Tillery said via email. In addition to injunctive relief, the plaintiffs want Google to reimburse them for the value of the cellular data the company consumed. Per person, the amount is modest - 1 to 1.5 megabytes of data each day, the plaintiffs estimate. To put that in context, Americans used just over 100 trillion megabytes of wireless data in 2023, my Reuters colleagues reported. But with a class period dating back to 2016, the totals add up quickly. In court papers, Google lawyers sound almost incredulous at the amount of the claimed nationwide damages, which they say runs in the tens of billions - more than the $7.4 billion Perdue Pharma settlement for the opioid crisis, they note. "Plaintiffs cannot show remotely commensurate harm to the class," they wrote. In denying Google's motion for summary judgment in May, Judge Charles Adams allowed the plaintiffs' claim for conversion to go forward, ruling there are triable issues of material fact for jurors to decide. While Adams said no direct state law precedent exists as to whether cell phone data is property, he pointed to a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year in the parallel federal class action, Taylor v Google. In that case, U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia DeMarchi in San Jose sided with Google and dismissed the complaint with prejudice in 2022, only to be reversed and remanded on appeal. The appellate panel in an unpublished decision ruled that the plaintiffs plausibly alleged they incurred damages when Google used their cellular data. Adams in a pre-trial order set some limits on what the lawyers will be allowed to argue to the jury. Plaintiffs may not suggest Google engages in "surveillance" of Android users, he wrote, or that the data transfers are a privacy violation. As for Google, Adams said, it "must not present evidence or argument suggesting that this case is 'lawyer driven' or was 'invented' by Plaintiffs' counsel."
NBC Sports
29-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
For Panthers, clinching a 3rd consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final didn't lead to celebrating
SUNRISE, Fla. — Bill Zito didn't do any significant celebrating after the Florida Panthers clinched their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final. He got some food and went back to work. At this point, no one around the team would expect anything different. The franchise that could not win a playoff series for a quarter-century now is in the midst of a back-to-back-to-back run to the NHL's championship round. Florida won 25 playoff games in its first 28 seasons combined; the Panthers have won 41 playoff games — and counting — in their most recent three seasons. The novelty of winning at this time of year hasn't worn off, but the Panthers simply have become used to it now. The main thing — the Cup — is the main thing. That's why after the most recent win, beating Carolina to finish off the Eastern Conference title in five games, there were no helmets being thrown in the air, no raucous beer-spraying locker room scene, no thick wafts of cigar smoke. A few handshakes, something to eat, and that was it. 'I think everybody likes it right when people are kind to you and say things that are nice,' Zito, the team's hockey operations president and general manager, said before the Panthers flew home from Carolina. 'But we learned. The journey isn't over and there's work to do and we have to be focused on that and keep your eye on the goal. Don't let success get in your way.' To be fair, for the Panthers, this is unprecedented levels of success. They have now played 11 playoff series since the start of the 2023 postseason — their first one with Matthew Tkachuk in a Florida sweater. They have won 10 of those series, only falling in the 2023 final to Vegas. They're 41-21 in playoff games under coach Paul Maurice and actually have a better road record in those games (23-10) than they do at home (18-11). 'I didn't even think about it,' Tkachuk said after the Carolina series ended. 'Just reacted how I reacted. I mean, I think it was different a few years ago. I remember a few years ago it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point. I know we talked about it last year. It's part of the journey. And same way with this year. It's all business, and we've got a bigger goal in mind.' When the East title series ended, Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour paid the Panthers — who won their first Cup last season — the ultimate compliment. 'They're the standard now,' Brind'Amour said. It has been a long time since the league has seen a run like this. Tampa Bay made three straight finals from 2020 through 2022 (with two of those seasons shortened by COVID), but no team — until now — has navigated three consecutive full regular seasons and gotten to the Stanley Cup Final in each of those years since Edmonton from 1983 through 1985. By the time this year's title series is over, the Panthers will have played more games in a three-year span than any team in NHL history. It's an accomplishment, for certain. Zito wasn't thinking about any of that after the Carolina series. There were travel plans to put together, reports to look at, somewhere between four and seven more games left in this season to think about. 'I don't think that the elation or the appreciation for the moment diminishes,' Zito said. 'I think perhaps the way it manifests itself, it's just channeled differently. ... That level of respect and appreciation for where you are, in tandem with the hunger, you want to do it again. You want to do it again. What can we start doing now? Don't stop. Don't get content. And those guys, they woke up with 100 texts each from everyone telling them how great they are. Everyone did. And it's not over.'
