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M66 traffic live: Serious crash leaves major motorway closed | UK | News

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The MEN reports a full list of Simister Island road closures revealed

All access to Simister Island remains closed in wake of the incident, with National Highways issuing a full brief of current closures as peak hour approaches.

Impacted roads include:

M66 southbound within the M60/M62 junction

M66 southbound exit for M60

M66 northbound within the M60/M62 junction

M60 J18 clockwise exit for M62

M60 anticlockwise exit slip at junction J18 to roundabout

The M62 westbound exit slip at junction J18 for M66

Drivers travelling on the M66 southbound are advised to leave the M66 southbound at junction three onto Pilsworth Road, then at the junction of Pilsworth Road and Moss Hall Road, turn onto Moss Hall Road southbound.

Motorists can then continue on Pilsworth Road until it becomes Hareshill Road and then Queen Elizabeth II Way, before following Queen Elizabeth II Way to the M62 Junction 19 roundabout.



This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk

Welcome to Derry’ Makes Its Pennywise Absence Worse With Two Stephen King References

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It: Welcome to Derry’s latest Stephen King references serve only to fuel the fire of the show’s most consistent criticism. Welcome to Derry is a project from Andy Muschietti, a filmmaker who’s no stranger to Stephen King adaptations or even Derry, having worked on the 2017 It film and its sequel. In the spirit of Stephen King’s iconic horror novel, the TV series focuses primarily on the various citizens of Derry, set during one of the book’s eventful interludes, a segment of It’s lore King himself has barely touched on. Therein lies the problem for Welcome to Derry.

Like the shark in Jaws or Godzilla in… Godzilla, the primary attraction for an It adaptation is, well, It. We’ve seen different forms of It throughout Welcome to Derry, but it’s the iconic clown appearance, played by Bill Skarsgård in the films, that most viewers will tune in for. In terms of characters and setting, Welcome to Derry does a fine job of establishing charming personalities and interpersonal stories that are compelling on their own. It’s the looming shadow of It that’s ultimately causing the show’s lull.

Warning: This includes SPOILERS for It: Welcome to Derry Season 1, Episode 4!

‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Continues to Hide Pennywise

HBO Max

It: Welcome to Derry Episode 4 continues the show’s trend of teasing Pennywise’s eventual arrival, this time with two major reveals: a clear shot of his red balloons and the Well House, two iconic Stephen King visual motifs. The past two episodes have shown Pennywise hiding in the dark, barely revealing more than a silhouette, teasing audiences with the monster while continuing to struggle with plot progression.

The red balloons have long been a piece of iconography for It, serving as an unforgettable component of the 2017 movie and its marketing. The Well House is essentially Pennywise’s lair, and another notable part of the movies. At the end of Welcome to Derry Episode 4, we see the Well House in the same rickety old state as it was in the film, with the HBO series seemingly returning to the same set. The house on Neibolt Street is connected to all the key locations where Pennywise-related incidents occur through the sewer system, making it a centerpiece for the It mystery.

While it’s unclear what Welcome to Derry is going to do with the Well House, its cliffhanger introduction serves as just another Pennywise tease, reminding audiences that he’s going to arrive at some point. Bill Skarsgård is a producer on the show and a member of the cast, so audiences know the appearance is going to happen. It’s just a matter of when, and the longer the TV prequel waits, the more likely it’s going to disappoint. This isn’t the return of Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks or Jon Snow in Game of Thrones Season 6; when everyone already knows it’s going to happen, the teasing quickly grows stale.


03184877_poster_w780.jpg


Release Date

October 26, 2025

Network

HBO

Directors

Andy Muschietti




This story originally appeared on Movieweb

A Refreshing Shift in K-Pop

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JYP quietly flew a handful of their artists—Sunmi, Park Jin-Young, and members of g.o.d, the first-generation K-pop group that helped define the label’s early era—to a small remote island and staged a stripped-back concert that looked nothing like the stadium war dominating K-pop right now. No blinding LEDs, no drone choreography, no 40-person dance crews. Just a handful of artists, an audience small enough to count, and Sunmi debuting a new track called “Happy hour.”

For readers not deep in the scene: JYP Entertainment is one of South Korea’s “Big 3” legacy labels, home to major global acts like TWICE, Stray Kids (pictured above), ITZY, and NMIXX. If SM Entertainment built the idol blueprint and HYBE turned it into an international empire, JYP has always carved out its own lane—equal parts pop craftsmanship and star-making longevity. So when a company of that size experiments with something small, you pay attention.

K-pop has been operating on high-gloss spectacle for a decade straight, so seeing one of the biggest labels walk in the opposite direction is notable. Especially when the artist at the center is Sunmi who’s s been pushing creative edges long before it was trendy.

A Different Kind Of Flex

On paper, JYP doing a remote, intentionally tiny show sounds like the kind of thing that would get swallowed between world tour announcements and merch drops. K-pop’s been sprinting toward stadiums for years, but not every artist wants—or needs—to compete on size alone.

Sunmi debuting a new song in that environment tells you more than any press release ever could. She’s one of the few soloists who still treats performance like craft, not content. Give her a stage the size of a living room and she’ll make it immersive. Put her on a tiny island and suddenly the dynamic changes, the artist is front and center again, not the machinery around her.

And for fans, it’s a shift from the race to be louder, bigger, shinier. The spectacle has its place, but people miss being able to actually see an artist’s face without a screen mediating the moment. If the island show proves anything, it’s that intimacy still has cultural pull—even in a genre built on maximalism.

The Timing Matters

It also lands at an interesting moment. HYBE is locked into global expansion, SM is reorganizing itself every other quarter, and fourth-gen groups are touring overseas faster than the market can absorb them. JYP leaning back into something small cuts through the noise more effectively than another “we sold out in five minutes” headline ever could.

This doesn’t mean JYP is pivoting to micro-shows anytime soon. What it does show is a label testing new formats at a time when the audience is overstimulated and the competition is exhausting itself. Labels don’t experiment like this without a reason. And right now, that reason seems obvious: attention isn’t guaranteed just because an act can fill an arena. If this island model becomes a series, a template, or even just a once-a-year curveball, it opens a lane for artists who thrive when the stage shrinks.

Source: Kpopmap



This story originally appeared on Screenrant

Deftones Announce Australia & New Zealand Arena Tour

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Deftones will return to Australia and New Zealand in 2026 for their first arena tour in nearly a decade, bringing Interpol and Ecca Vandal along for the ride.

The alt-rock band will hit the region in May for a run of five arena shows. The tour kicks off with back-to-back nights at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on May 2–3, then heads to Brisbane Entertainment Centre on May 6 and Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on May 9–10, before wrapping at Auckland’s Spark Arena on May 13.

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It marks Deftones’ first Australia and New Zealand tour in almost 10 years, underlining how rare a full-scale run from the band has become in the region. All shows will feature Interpol as special guests, with Melbourne artist Ecca Vandal opening.

Interpol’s inclusion brings a stack of indie-rock staples — from 2000s breakthrough “Obstacle 1” and “Evil” to songs from more recent albums — while Ecca Vandal has earned a reputation at home for fusing punk, hip-hop and electronic influences into high-energy sets.

The tour comes on the heels of Private Music, Deftones’ 10th studio album, released earlier this year. The set debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and bowed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, according to Billboard’s Chart Beat coverage, giving the band another top-tier rock debut after Diamond Eyes, Gore and Ohms all opened in the top 10.

Private Music also extended their streak on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, where the band has now logged multiple No. 1 entries. Across their career, Deftones have become one of heavy music’s most enduring crossover acts, with 2000’s White Pony earning a Grammy win and later albums like Diamond Eyes (No. 6), Koi No Yokan (No. 11), Gore (No. 2) and Ohms (No. 5) all landing high on the Billboard 200.

The general on-sale tickets go live Nov. 21, with various presales — including artist, promoter and venue offers — rolling out earlier that week.

Deftones 2026 Australia & New Zealand Tour Dates
With Interpol and Ecca Vandal

  • May 2 – Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena
  • May 3 – Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena
  • May 6 – Brisbane, Brisbane Entertainment Centre
  • May 9 – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
  • May 10 – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
  • May 13 – Auckland, Spark Arena



This story originally appeared on Billboard

Briana Adams Eliminated in Episode 5 and Channing Wilson Wins the Night

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What To Know

  • The November 16 episode of The Road featured the group two hitting the stage in Oklahoma City.
  • The five artists each performed an original song and a cover song before being rated by the audience.
  • At the end of the night, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban chose one contestant to eliminate from the bottom two.

The second group of the Top 9 artists hit the stage in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on the Sunday, November 16, episode of The Road. This week, five singers performed a cover song and an original song while opening up for Keith Urban, with his audiences rating the performances on their phones afterwards.

At the end of the night, Urban and Blake Shelton revealed the top-rated performer, and then they decided who would be going home out of the bottom two. One singer took a big risk by singing a powerful cover song, but it ended up coming back to haunt her.

Scroll down for a recap of the performances and to find out who went home.

Channing Wilson

After being in the Top 3 in Week 1 and finishing at the top of his group in Week 2, Channing Wilson knew he had to keep the momentum going. He performed “The Weatherman” as his cover, and Urban noted, “He’s so relatable. As soon as he starts talking, I like him immediately.”

CBS

For his original song, he sang “Gettin’ Out of My Mind,” which he described as a “honkey tonk and boot-stompin’ kind of song.” Urban said it was a “great choice” and that Channing “played to the room perfectly. Shelton added, “I want him to keep going!”

Shelton also noted that this show could finally be Channing’s big break, at which point, Urban pointed out, “If Jelly Roll can win Best New Artist at 39…”

Billie Jo Jones

Billie Jo Jones’ confidence was at an all-time low after her last performance in Dallas, Texas. This week, she was still fighting the illness that’s been plaguing her throughout the competition.

Billie Jo Jones

CBS

Still, she came to the stage with a powerhouse vocal cover, singing Martina McBride‘s “Broken Wing.” Her original song was called “Whose Tequila Are You Drinkin’?” Shelton said, “I thought she did good. My only critique would be that she followed Channing, and that’s a tough task.”

Briana Adams

Briana Adams’ cover song choice of “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton was “concerning” for tour manager Gretchen Wilson, who admitted that she wasn’t sure it was a risk that would pay off.

Briana Adams

CBS

However, Urban said he “liked” the performance, although he later noted, “I wouldn’t choose it as my cover in a rowdy bar.” Shelton admitted, “I sit here a million times and say, ‘Why don’t they do a song that everybody knows,’ and of course everybody knows ‘I Will Always Love You,’ but just … something about that felt like … she overshot it a little.”

Briana’s original song was called “Belle of the Beer Bash,” which had the crowd holding their drinks up in the air. “She was pretty good,” Urban said. “I don’t know what she could’ve done differently.”

Adam Sanders

Adam Sanders sang “Heads Carolina, Tails California” for his cover, which Urban said was a “good choice.” Wilson pointed out that Adam has “a lot of confidence, as far as stage presence, vocal ability, song writing ability,” but added that he’s “only showing us one kind of side” with his performances.

Adam Sanders

CBS

He changed it up a bit with his cover, singing a power ballad called “Burning Roses” instead of a more up-tempo song. “That was a good combination,” Urban confirmed. “His voice was suited to the original. That’s his spot right there. The cover didn’t suit him vocally, but it was a good choice. The crowd loved it. He can work a crowd.”

Shelton agreed, adding, “That guy … he should be a politician.”

Britnee Kellogg

Closing out the show was Britnee Kellogg, who began her set with a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”

Britnee Kellogg

CBS

“Britnee’s one of those vocalists where you don’t realize how powerful she can really be because she’s sort of soft spoken, then all of a sudden she hits these notes when she gets up there that are really incredible,” Shelton raved.

Britnee’s original was a personal tune called “She’s Come a Long Way,” and Urban said, “Britnee did great. That’s a really hard cover, and then her original connected to that audience.”

Who went home on The Road Episode 5?

After the show, Urban revealed that Channing once again received the highest rating of the night. Unfortunately, Billie Jo and Briana were in the bottom two. The guys ultimately decided to eliminated Briana.

“You both sounded really incredible,” Shelton confirmed. “For us, we feel like from the connection that was had here tonight on stage, Billie Jo was the one we’re going to move forward to next week.”

Briana admitted that she “figured as much” and acknowledged that her cover song choice was a “gamble.” Although she got emotional, she added, “Thank you so much for this opportunity. I got to come here and be unapologetically myself.”

Adam, Channing, Billie Jo, and Britnee will be joining Cassidy Daniels, Jenny Tolman, and Cody Hibbard in the next city: Tulsa, Oklahoma!

The Road, Season 1, Sundays, Check Local Listings, CBS




This story originally appeared on TV Insider

How to implement Zero Trust effectively amid rising cyber threats – Computerworld

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In the era of cloud-first distributed enterprises where people collaborate across time zones and device types, the Zero Trust security methodology is increasingly key.

According to research by Foundry, over half of organizations either have Zero Trust in production or are piloting it. The Zero Trust security market is expected to be worth $88.8bn by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of just over 16%.

And this investment is urgent: according to research, 98% of CISOs expect cyber attacks to increase over the next three years. These attacks can have huge consequences: US financial services firm Equifax incurred $1.4bn in settlements after a single vulnerability in a web application was exploited by hackers.

It’s clear that security leaders must use the most effective tactics available to counter these threats.

Zero Trust is a holistic approach to security, rather than a product or service. It assumes there will be a breach, and that hostile actors could already be inside the network.

In order to counter threats, the architecture is therefore based on an approach of constant verification. And security is delivered not just at the network layer, but at the application level too.

Telecommunications Company System Control and Monitoring Room with Diverse Multicultural Team of Professionals Working on Computers. Big Screen Display Showing Infrastructure Infographics. Back View

shutterstock/Gorodenkoff

Beyond walls

This approach delivers more effective and efficient security. It does not replace existing network or endpoint security measures, but layers defenses in a way that makes the organization more resilient.

As Germany’s Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) states, “Zero Trust describes an architectural design paradigm developed from the ‘Assume Breach’ approach.” Zero Trust, the BSI says, provides better protection for applications and reduces the damage from cyber attacks.

But this does not mean no trust, it means constant verification, across the network and applications.

As the UK’s NCSC puts it: “As a term, ZT [Zero Trust] can be misleading, as there is actually plenty of trust required… The key principle is don’t inherently trust any user or service requesting access to systems or data.”

Conventional security measures are no longer sufficient

Hostile groups can breach or bypass defenses, often through phishing. Once inside, they can move across networks (lateral movement) and use privileged access to attack other systems.

These risks are greater still as organizations use more IoT and personal devices, more cloud applications, and employ more remote workers.

Restoring trust, building security

Both businesses and regulators are putting more emphasis on organizational resilience. The EU’s NIS2 directive, for example, requires Zero Trust.

To implement this successfully, security leaders must have a clear view on their  infrastructure.

This includes multifactor authentication, microsegmentation with granular access controls, least privilege access, device access control, endpoint protection, data encryption, and identity and access management (IAM).

Microsegmentation allows organizations to contain any threats that break through perimeter defenses, isolating hostile traffic within the network. It is software defined, so it can respond quickly to evolving threats.

Managed detection and response (MDR) adds another layer of defense. It shields endpoints, detecting and blocking attackers before they can move into the organization. Moreover, MDR draws on the latest threat intelligence and network analysis to stop breaches before they cause damage. Vitally, these controls are dynamic and context aware. They continuously verify user identity and device health.

Zero Trust is often described as a journey, not a destination

Smart security leaders need to keep their progress towards Zero Trust under constant review, as the threat landscape changes, and technology evolves. The key is to establish a Zero Trust mindset, and implement a strategy aligned with business objectives.

Find out how T-Systems can help security teams on their journey to Zero Trust.



This story originally appeared on Computerworld

This Audible Black Friday deal gives you three months of access for only $3

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Black Friday is a great time to take a look at what subscriptions you may be able to save on. From video streaming services to budgeting apps, many services will have some Black Friday promotion you may be able to take advantage of. One of the best we’re tracking is for Audible. You can sign up and get your first three months for just $3 in total, plus get a $20 Audible credit on top of that.

This breaks down to $1 per month for the first three months, which is a boon for audiobook fans. Just make sure to cancel before the 90 days are up, as the subscription will auto-renew at $15 per month. That’s not the worst deal in the world, given the vast number of titles available on the platform, but still.

Amazon

Just make sure to cancel before it auto-renews. 

$3 at Amazon

Audible has a diverse catalog that goes beyond audiobooks. It also hosts podcasts and Audible Originals. Subscribers get to choose one audiobook each month to keep in their collection for free, including best-sellers or new releases. Users also get unlimited access to the Plus Catalog, which houses thousands of audiobooks. Finally, active members get discounts on many audiobooks when looking to purchase.

Winter is coming and this is a good way to make sure you have plenty to listen to throughout the next three months. This deal does have a time limit. It expires on December 16.



This story originally appeared on Engadget

The Dam Is About To Break On Trump’s Epstein Scandal

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The cracks in Trump’s Epstein cover-up have been forming and growing for months. Next week will finally be the time when it all breaks into the open.

None of this would have happened without four House Republicans defying Trump and signing the discharge petition to force a vote on legislation to compel the DOJ to release the files.

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Democrats would have remained short of the signatures needed without Reps. Massie, Greene, Boebert, and Mace are sticking to their decision and not yielding to pressure from Trump to take their names off the discharge petition.

The vote in the House will happen this week, and while House passage won’t get the files released, a sizable vote will place pressure on the Senate to also vote on the measure. If the bill were to pass the Senate, Trump would be forced to veto it, which would put his Epstein cover-up out in the open.

Rep. Thomas Massie was on ABC’s This Week where he was asked, “President Trump fought long and hard to prevent your discharge petition from going through. You won that battle. Now what happens? How many Republicans in the House follow your lead and defy the president on this?”

Story continues below.



This story originally appeared on Politicususa

EcoFlow Delta 3 Ultra Plus review: Premium, but solid power

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The EcoFlow Delta 3 Ultra Plus is a premium power station that is more than enough for home power loss emergencies, if a little too heavy to be used regularly for off-grid vacations.

EcoFlow Delta 3 Ultra Plus

The peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ll have electricity during difficult times has produced a robust industry. There are several manufacturers offering a range of portable power stations, solar panels, and alternator chargers aimed at meeting every need, large or small.

Among these companies in the market is EcoFlow. A company with a growing catalog of power stations and accessories ranging from a few hundred dollars up to several thousand for larger, more industrial models.

Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums


This story originally appeared on Appleinsider

Visa leans into AI-enabled payments and stablecoins to stay ahead of the game, says Asia-Pacific president Stephen Karpin

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Societies are shifting away from cash, and embracing new ways to make payments and transfer money. In Asia, many have turned to e-wallets, QR codes, and super apps—skipping physical credit cards entirely. 

Traditional card companies are reinventing themselves to stay ahead of the game. “These days, when people talk about ‘cards’, it’s not just a piece of plastic. It’s a digital network proposition where you can pay or be paid,” Stephen Karpin, Visa’s Asia-Pacific president, told Fortune on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, on the sidelines of the Singapore FinTech Festival, Visa revealed two new features for its regional clientele: AI-enabled payments and stablecoin settlements.

The first marks the company’s expansion into agentic commerce, where consumers across Asia can tap on AI-powered agents to shop and pay on their behalf. 

OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT catalyzed a fundamental shift in commerce, Karpin said. “The breadth with which it’s transforming how one understands and finds things in the world is quite profound. Yet one of the things missing from the current state of a LLM-powered chatbot is the ability to make payment via an agent,” he said.

This means that online shoppers can use AI chatbots to discover, browse and select items—but can’t yet use them to complete payments. 

Customers can load their Visa cards on an agent system—just as they might with Apple or Google Pay. They are then given the option to opt in for ‘personalization’, to receive recommendations of “intelligent shopping decisions” based on their past preferences.

Users are then prompted to make payment within the AI platform—securely, with tokenization and authentication—completing an end-to-end online shopping process. 

Stablecoins

The second initiative is Visa’s stable settlement pilot, which enables select partners to pay using stablecoins across supported blockchains. Stablecoins are digital currencies designed to have a stable value, by pegging them to less volatile assets such as fiat currencies, most commonly the U.S. dollar).

Karpin said that Visa had recognized the value of blockchain technology for payments since the time first emerged a decade ago. Today, more cross-border transactions than ever are taking place via stablecoins.

“​​We want to make [stablecoins] one of the options to make and receive payments all around the world, when the regulatory environment is ready,” Karpin added. “We’ve got some assets in the form of technology and capability, and want to help businesses large and small start conducting commerce in Web3.”

Asia’s shifting payments space

Karpin has worked at Visa for over a decade, cutting his teeth in the South Pacific, Southeast Asian, and Japanese markets—before becoming the firm’s Asia-Pacific president in 2023.

Things are shifting in Asia’s payments space, he said, noting that more change has happened in the last five years as compared to the previous fifty.

Super apps—single apps consolidating multiple services like ride-hailing, food delivery and digital payments—is one such disruptor, he said. 

They first took off in mainland China, with the founding of Alipay in 2004 and WeChat Pay in 2013. Southeast Asian tech giant Grab followed suit, launching GrabPay in 2016.

But instead of regarding super apps and e-wallets as competition, Visa is looking for ways to work with them.

“You can live your life on a super app now, so we’re partnering with them to digitalize the Visa credential,” Karpin said.

He cited Visa’s partnership with Taiwan’s Line Pay as an example, which allows Taiwanese users to travel abroad and pay by scanning any QR codes connected to the Visa network.

Visa is also widely accepted in global destinations beyond Asia, making it easier for long-distance travelers to make seamless payments overseas.

“[When traveling further abroad], you can’t use a super app with a QR. We’re partnering with e-wallets so you can use your phone to tap to get onto the New York subway, or buy lunch in London,” Karpin said.

Visa is the world’s second-largest card payment organization based on the annual value of card payments transacted and the number of issued cards, after being surpassed by China’s UnionPay in 2015. Yet Visa, No. 127 on the Fortune 500, leads in global transaction volume.



This story originally appeared on Fortune