The Volkswagen Groups owns these luxury brands
Among the biggest businesses in the world is without a doubt the Volkswagen Group. and in every segment worldwide, not just the automotive one. The Volkswagen Group actually commands 12 brands, over 50 subsidiaries, and is among the top 10 corporations in the world by revenue. Porsche owns the majority of the VW Group.
Bugatti
Established in 1909, Bugatti produced numerous competitive race vehicles for many years until ceasing operations in the 1950s. With the release of the EB110 in 1991, the Bugatti brand was brought back to life as a manufacturer of extremely fast, limited-edition sports cars. The brand is still owned by the Volkswagen Group, who purchased it in 1998.
Lamborghini
Based in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian brand and producer of high-end sports vehicles and SUVs. Through its subsidiary Audi, the Volkswagen Group owns the business. Currently, Lamborghini makes the V10-powered Huracán, the V12-powered Aventador, and the twin-turbo V8-powered Urus SUV. Furthermore, the company manufactures V12 engines used in offshore powerboat competition. With its headquarters located in Pieve di Cento, Italy, Lamborghini Trattori was established in 1948 by Ferruccio Lamborghini and is still in the tractor business today.
Bentley
This British luxury car manufacturer and marketer has been a division of Volkswagen AG since 1998. Crewe, England serves as the home office of Bentley Motors Limited. In the end, Bentley was purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1931. Nevertheless, Rolls-Royce Motors was eventually acquired by the engineering company Vickers. Vickers ultimately made the decision to sell Rolls-Royce to Volkswagen AG in 1998.
Porsche
Established by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931, Porsche is a German automobile manufacturing firm that did not begin car production until 1939, when it produced its first vehicle. In actuality, Porsche was producing military tanks throughout World War II. It is also true that its designs resemble those of the well-known Volkswagen Beetle. This is because the two businesses were well-established when they decided to merge in 2009, with VW owning the majority of the shares as of 2015.
Will the stock market crash more than the 2008 crisis in 2025?
A market meltdown predicted to exceed the 2008 crisis is predicted by economists for 2025
A market meltdown predicted to exceed the 2008 crisis is predicted by economists for 2025. The renowned economist and HS Dent Investment Management founder, Harry Dent, has issued a warning about an impending catastrophic collapse of the world stock market.
The 71-year-old financial expert, who is well-known for his audacious economic forecasts, hinted that a financial catastrophe of never-before-seen proportions might be approaching in an interview with Fox News.
Dent's dire prediction was made just after the world stock market finished May with strong gains, giving many investors hope that things are back to normal.
The financial expert emphasized that the so-called "everything" bubble is still intact and that a blow-up might trigger the "crash of a lifetime" when it does.
During the conversation, Dent emphasized the distinctiveness of the current economic environment by drawing comparisons to the historical market crash of 2008. He noted that the current state of affairs in the financial sector is unique since it is driven by artificial stimuli, in contrast to earlier natural booms in the 1920s.
Thinking back on how long the current bubble has lasted—more than 14 years, which is much longer than most economic bubbles last—Dent emphasized how serious the crash could be.
He projected that sometime in 2025, the effects of this crisis may outweigh those of the Great Recession of 2008–2009, with possible drops of up to 86% in the S&P and 92% in the Nasdaq.
Dent suggests that even market heavyweights like Nvidia would not escape the fall, implying that even high-flying equities could be severely damaged. Dent acknowledged the quality of firms such as Nvidia but cautioned that there could be severe reductions, potentially as much as 98%.
Guardian Caps: What Are They? What role do they play in the NFL?
The NFL has approved Guardian Caps during games to lessen head injuries
The NFL has approved Guardian Caps during games to lessen head injuries and promote innovation in equipment technology.
During the 2024 preseason, some players, notably Jonathan Taylor, the standout running back for the Indianapolis Colts, started wearing the helmet in games. During his opening game of the season against the Chicago Bears, Josh Whyle of the Tennessee Titans decided to wear a Guardian Cap.
Here are further specifics regarding the protective headwear.
What is a Guardian cap?
Guardian caps are large soft-shell pads worn over football helmets to reduce the risk of concussions and other head injuries during play.
How effective are Guardian Caps?
NFL research suggests the cap can absorb as little as 10% of the force from a hitch.
Do NFL players have to wear Guardian Cap?
During training camp drills, Guardian cap are mandatory for NFL players. In 2024, they will have the opportunity to wear them to a game for the first time.
When were Guardian Caps produced?
Erin and Lee Hanson founded Guardian Sports in 2011 to create the best sports gear possible to safeguard athletes. In 2010, they were initially contacted about creating a flexible helmet shell.
Guardian Sports was established at the same time that a Pittsburgh injury law company filed the first-ever concussion lawsuit against the NFL on behalf of 120 former players.
What changes have Guardian Caps undergone over time?
Football sessions have been using Guardian Caps since 2015. The original cap was fastened with a fixed strap, however the straps were brittle and frequently broke when the cap moved. Even with the elastic straps added, the face mask would still come loose from the straps.
To provide double reinforcement, a rubber flap was put over the straps in 2017 along with Velcro. To encourage the development of equipment, the league funded the NFL HeadHealthTECH Challenge, which the cap won in that year.
The league has since conducted extensive testing on the cap. The Guardian NXT cap that is currently in use was created especially for the NFL. It has extra padding that "floats" at the helmet's top. To lower the risk of a neck injury, the floating helps the cap move with the helmet.
Russian drones entered two NATO countries.
Russian drones entered Latvia and Romania
Russian drones entered two NATO countries. After one Russian drone crashed in eastern Latvia the day before and another flew into Romania during an overnight strike on neighboring Ukraine, two NATO nations claimed on Sunday that Russian drones had breached their airspace.
Romania's National Defense Ministry said a drone entered Romanian territory early on Sunday, just days after Moscow attacked civilian facilities and port infrastructure across the country in Ukraine. It added that it has deployed F-16 warplanes to monitor its airspace and issued text alerts to residents of two eastern regions.
Additionally, it stated that Romania was looking at a potential impact zone in an unpopulated area near the Ukrainian border. No early reports of forces or casualties were available.
A day after it had crashed close to the town of Rezekne, Latvia's Defense Minister Andris Sprūds revealed later on Sunday that the drone, which was probably brought to Latvia from Belarus, a neighboring country, was Russian.
With a population of more than 25,000, Rezekne is located approximately 55 kilometers (34 miles) west of Russia and approximately 75 kilometers (47 miles) east of Belarus, a close and crucial ally of the Kremlin.
Although the invasion of Latvian airspace seems to be an isolated incident, Romania has reported multiple times as recently as July this year that drone fragments have fallen on its territory since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
NATO'S Reaction
According to Mircea Geoană, the departing deputy secretary-general of NATO and a former senior diplomat for Romania, the military alliance criticizes Russia's breaking a rule of Romanian airspace. He made this announcement on Sunday morning. "While we have no information indicating an intentional attack by Russia against Allies, these acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous," he posted on the social media site X.
Hindenburg Research takes aim at AI companies, sinks two company’s shares
Hindenburg Research aims at AI Bubble
Hindenburg Research, an activist short-selling firm known for its market-making takedowns of top companies such as Block and the Adani Group, published two reports last week on companies it sees as unfairly profiting from the AI boom. Share prices of server and storage maker Super Micro and software company iLearningEngines both fell sharply.
The report comes amid growing hype from companies ranging from hyperscaler giants like Microsoft and Google to hardware firms and even utilities that could benefit from the demand. Last week, GPU maker Nvidia announced better-than-expected performance, but its stock price still fell, reflecting growing wariness about the industry, especially among institutional investors.
Hindenburg's two reports are an even stronger indication of bubble fears. The short-selling firm targets companies or sectors that they believe are overvalued. Hindenburg often takes a short position on a company that thinks it will collapse before it publishes its findings, hoping to reap a handsome return from a falling stock price.
Accounting fraud
Hindenburg's first report on Tuesday focused on Super Micro, a maker of hardware such as servers and motherboards that is important to AI companies. Super Micro's market cap was about $35 billion before Hindenburg's research. The day after the report, it fell 26 percent and remains at about $26 billion.
Hindenburg's report on iLearningEngines on Thursday proved even more damning. Like Super Micro, Hindenburg described iLearningEngines as a company looking to capitalize on the AI wave, although short sellers doubted the company had ever focused on the emerging field before the hoax.
iLearningEngines went public via SPAC in April 2024, although its stock price was around $3 before the report, which dropped below $1.50 after Hindenburg's investigation with a market cap of around $175 million.
Concord is unexpectedly taken offline
Sony promises complete refunds
Concord will be unexpectedly taken offline on September 6, 2024, and players will be getting their complete refunds announced by Sony.
"While many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended." director Ryan Ellis said in a statement posted on the PlayStation Blog.
Anyone who bought the game through PlayStation Direct or the PlayStation Store will receive a refund using their original payment methods, and the title will be taken off the market right away. In the upcoming days, refunds will be given to customers who bought on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
While getting a physical refund is a little more difficult, players can still check with specific stores. Sony will likely work with them to set up a mechanism that enables full processing of all reimbursements. Sony stated clearly that "players will no longer have access to the game once refunded."
Less than two weeks after launch, Concord was withdrawn
Concord was released on August 23, 2024, which means that it was taken offline for all users two weeks after it was first made available for purchase and only 11 days after its introduction. After September 6, even those who purchased Concord will not be allowed to play.
In the multiplayer game "Concord," which has been likened to the well-known shooter "Overwatch," players form a team of five Freegunner space outlaws from the spacecraft Northstar for online matches against other teams. It became exceedingly difficult to find matchups during gameplay because there were so few individuals playing "Concord."
The United States Social Security Administration announces good news for these retirees
The United States Social Security Administration announces good news
The United States Social Security Administration announces good news today for thousands of US citizens. If you fit specific qualifications, you could receive one of these monthly checks as soon as possible. To be eligible for today's benefit, all you have to do is apply for it at the designated time.
More specifically, the beneficiary's preferred mode of collection will also determine the day on which this benefit is collected. All qualified retirees will get checks from the Social Security Administration, however. After that, this other aspect that has been mentioned directly determines whether or not the payment is made on the same day.
Who will be eligible for Social Security?
A particular demographic is eligible to receive today's Social Security Administration payment. We must fulfill two conditions in order to do this. Of these requirements, one is required while the other is voluntary. The SSA will issue us a check at a later date if we are unable to comply with the first of these conditions.
The following criteria must be met in order to obtain the payment from the Social Security Administration today:
- own a benefit that dates back before May 1997.
- Direct Deposit must be enabled as a collection mode.
It should be noted that the nature of the benefit remains the same on the day you receive each payment. As a result, everyone eligible for retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration, including citizens with disability checks, can start receiving their benefits right away.
If my Social Security Administration check arrives late, what can I do?
If the Social Security Administration does not send the payment on the day we anticipate, there are two things to consider. First, confirm that you have perused the payment schedule. The second step is to see whether there are any issues with your personal information or bank.
We should get in touch with the bank right away if our check does not arrive on schedule. Our retirement benefit may occasionally be withheld by the bank for a variety of reasons. Therefore, we must confirm that we are debt-free and that our personal information is accurate.
However, we should also make sure that all of our personal information is consistent. We have to notify the Social Security Administration and the bank of any changes, such as moving or getting married or divorced, among other things. If you don't, money can be taken away from you.
US Researchers Find Secret Russian Location With Nuclear Missile Launching Capability
Russian Location With Nuclear Missile
US Researchers Find Secret Russian Location With Nuclear Missile Launching Capability, Two U.S. researchers have located the likely Russian deployment location of the 9M730 Burevestnik missile, a new nuclear-armed cruise missile that President Vladimir Putin has referred to as "invincible" and purportedly fueled by nuclear energy. According to Putin, the weapon NATO has dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall can avoid American missile defenses and has an almost infinite range. However, several Western analysts contest his assertions and the Burevestnik's strategic significance, arguing that it will not confer any new capabilities upon Moscow and runs the risk of causing a radioactive accident.
A commercial satellite company, the two researchers determined that the new missile's possible launch location would be a building project next to a nuclear weapon storage facility known by two names: Vologda-20 and Chebsara. Moscow lies 475 kilometers north of the facility.
An inquiry regarding his judgment, the strategic significance of Burevestnik, its test history, and the hazards it presents was not answered by the Russian defense ministry or the embassy in Washington.
According to a Kremlin official, these were questions for the defense ministry, which declined to comment further.
Why it's happening
This trend coincides with Russia's increased military exercises and nuclear posture. Citing alleged threats from Western nations, Russia revealed intentions to conduct a tactical nuclear weapons exercise in May. The action of Russia seen as a direct threat coming from the West's statements, which are provocative and threats to Russia.
Paralympic Archery in Paris 2024 : Sheetal Devi and Sarita Kumari Crash Out
Paralympics Archery in Paris 2024
Paralympics Archery in Paris 2024: Sheetal Devi, the armless marvel, tumbled out of the last 16, ending Sarita Kumari's incredible run in the quarterfinals.
Sarita Kumari's incredible journey ended in the archery competition's quarterfinals, and armless marvel Sheetal Devi lost in the last 16 of the compound women's open category at the Paris Paralympics 2024, causing sadness for India. Sarita of Faridabad, the ninth seed, had a dominant performance in the first and second rounds before her incredible run was ended in the round of eight by top-seeded Oznur Cure Girdi of Korea. With a score of 704 out of 720 possible points, Oznur broke the world record to win the qualifying round. She scored three perfect 10s in the second to take a commanding five-point lead.
Despite Sarita's flawless fourth end to match Oznur's thirty, the Turkish archer maintained a four-point lead thanks to her consistent beginnings, capping the match with a 29 in the fifth end.
Using her toes to draw the arrow, Sheetal made a mistake in the second end, missing the 7-point red ring and losing to Chile's Mariana Zuniga, the winner of the Tokyo silver medal, 137-138 in the pre-quarterfinals.
With a bye into the last-16 round, all eyes were on Asian Para Games double gold medallist Sheetal, who had also surpassed the previous world mark of 698 by shooting 703.
Beginning the first set on a high note, Sheetal won 29–28 after hitting two X drops one point.
She did, however, get the much-needed opening when she made a 7-pointer in the second arrow, winning the second end 27-26 to equalize the score (55-all).
Over the next eight arrows, the two competitors were even at one point, but Mariana pulled ahead with the last arrow, hitting a nine, while Sheetal, making his Paralympic debut, missed the eight ring.
Sarita, the ninth seed, defeated Eleonora Sarti of Italy 141–135 in a one-sided match during her pre-quarterfinals on the same day that second seed Sheetal was eliminated early.
Sarita, ranked ninth and the winner of the Asian Para Games silver medal team the previous year, led by four points after just one end of play.
After she shot one X (closer to the center) in the second end, she extended her lead to five points, and there was no turning back.
Sarita held her composure and sealed the deal with two strong ends, but her higher-ranked Italian opponent managed two 10s and took the third end.
In her opening round match, Sarita defeated Nur Jannaton Abdul Jalil of Malaysia 138-124.
In the open class, archers aim at an 80cm five-ring target composed of the 10-6 point bands from a seated position at a distance of 50 meters.