Tesla CEO Elon Musk has scored a resounding victory as shareholders have approved a pay package of as much as $878bn over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the electric vehicle (EV) maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
Shares of Tesla rose more than 3 percent in after-hours trading after the shareholders voted on Thursday. The proposal was approved with more than 75 percent support.
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Musk took to the stage in Austin, Texas, along with dancing robots. “What we are about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla, but a whole new book,” he said. “This really is going to be quite the story.”
He added: “Other shareholder meetings are like snooze fests, but ours are bangers. I mean, look at this. This is sick.”
Shareholders also re-elected three directors on Tesla’s board and voted in favour of a replacement pay plan for Musk’s services because a legal challenge has held up a previous package.
The vote, analysts have said, is a positive for Tesla’s stock, whose valuation hangs on Musk’s vision of making vehicles drive themselves, expanding robotaxis across the United States and selling humanoid robots, even though his far-right political rhetoric has hurt the Tesla brand this year.
A win for Musk was widely expected as the billionaire was allowed to exercise the full voting rights of his roughly 15 percent stake after the carmaker moved to Texas from Delaware, where a legal challenge has held up a previous pay rise.
The approval comes even after opposition from some major investors, including Norway’s sovereign wealth fund.
Tesla’s board had said Musk could quit if the pay package was not approved.
The vote will also allay investor concerns that Musk’s focus has been diluted with his work in politics as well as in running his other companies, including rocket maker SpaceX and artificial intelligence startup xAI.
The board and many investors who lent their endorsement have said the nearly $1 trillion package benefits shareholders in the longer run, as Musk must ensure Tesla achieves a series of milestones to get paid.
Goals for Musk over the next decade include the company delivering 20 million vehicles, having one million robotaxis in operation, selling one million robots and earning as much as $400bn in core profit. But in order for him to get paid, Tesla’s stock value has to rise in tandem, first to $2 trillion from the current $1.5 trillion, and all the way to $8.5 trillion.
Warning: This story contains details about suicide that some readers may find disturbing. If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, help and support are available. Visit 988 Lifeline for more information about support services.
Marshawn Kneeland, a defensive end for the American football team, the Dallas Cowboys, has died at the age of 24, the National Football League franchise said.
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The Frisco police department in Texas said on Thursday that Kneeland appeared to have taken his own life after he was involved in a vehicle pursuit and a multi-agency search late on Wednesday.
Police said Kneeland did not stop for Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers over a traffic violation on Wednesday night.
They said officers from the Frisco police department joined in the pursuit of Kneeland’s car, which was found a little before 11pm local time (05:00 GMT, Thursday) after it had crashed on southbound Dallas Parkway.
The driver, identified as Kneeland, abandoned the car and walked away from the scene. The Texas DPS said a trooper had tried to pull him over for an alleged traffic violation, and he did not stop.
After instituting a search using both K-9 and drone units, law enforcement found Kneeland dead at 1:31am on Thursday.
Frisco police said they learned Kneeland had expressed suicidal thoughts following a call to the emergency dispatch on Wednesday night. The official cause of death will be determined by the Collin County medical examiner.
The Cowboys announced the death of Kneeland, a second-year player, on Thursday.
“It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning,” the statement said.
“Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”
Kneeland scored his first career touchdown Monday in the Cowboys’ 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
“I watched him fight his way from a hopeful kid at Western Michigan with a dream to being a respected professional for the Dallas Cowboys,” his agent, Jonathan Perzley, said in a statement.
United States President Donald Trump has claimed responsibility for Israel’s initial attack on Iran, contradicting previous US assertions that the Israeli government acted unilaterally.
“Israel attacked first. That attack was very, very powerful. I was very much in charge of that,” Trump told reporters on Thursday.
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“When Israel attacked Iran first, that was a great day for Israel because that attack did more damage than the rest of them put together.”
His comments came as he called on Republicans to revoke the filibuster to pass laws in the Senate with a simple majority. He argued that his party should move on the Senate rule first in the same way that Israel launched the war against Iran.
Israel launched a devastating assault against Iran without direct provocation on June 13, killing several top generals and nuclear scientists as well as many civilians.
Iran responded with hundreds of missiles against Israel.
The US subsequently joined the Israeli war effort by bombing Iran’s three major nuclear facilities.
But in the early hours of the war, Washington stressed that Israel acted on its own and warned Tehran against retaliating against US troops and interests in the region.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at that time.
A ceasefire was reached after Iran launched a missile attack against a US air base in Qatar.
Since then, Trump has been increasingly taking credit for the outcome of the war, repeatedly claiming that the US “totally obliterated” the Iranian nuclear programme.
But on Thursday, the US president suggested he had initiated the war from the start.
For its part, Tehran has not provided a public assessment of the state of its nuclear sites, but Iranian officials have stressed that the country’s nuclear programme remains viable through the knowledge Iran has acquired over the years.
It is also unclear what happened to Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
Trump campaigned against starting new wars, promoting himself as a “peace” candidate.
During the war, he faced pressure from segments of his own base to keep the US out of the conflict.
In recent weeks, Trump has reiterated that he would like to reach a deal with Iran that would see Tehran forge formal ties with Israel.
In the early months of his second presidency, Trump opened negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme, and repeatedly stressed that he wants an agreement with Tehran.
But with the nuclear file apparently dormant, analysts say there is no sense of urgency in Washington to restart talks with Tehran.
Cheryl Tweedy has been known for her fashion and has been hailed as an inspiration for millions, and it appears Kylie Minogue has been influenced by her previous outfits
Kylie Minogue appeared to take inspiration from Cheryl Tweedy as she posed with Prince William. The Australian pop princess was joined by the heir to the throne and fellow pop star Shawn Mendes at the fifth Earthshot Prize Awards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
But as the Padam hitmaker posed alongside the future King, it became clear that she may have taken inspiration from British pop icon Cheryl for her outfit. The 57-year-old hitmaker stepped out in a beige mini dress, which was decorated with cream leather cut-outs.
However, Geordie star Cheryl wore the exact same outfit to celebrate her 28th birthday at the Sanderson Hotel in London on July 1, 2011. The Girls Aloud beauty completed her look with a striking blonde shoulder-length bob hairstyle and a gold clutch bag. She wore extremely high gold-heeled shoes for her celebration.
Kylie also opted for a pair of gold heels, but decided to keep her accessories to a minimum on the green carpet of the event. While it’s unclear if the decision was intentional, the pair seem to have a connection. Cheryl has made it no secret that she would love to collaborate with Kylie. In 2018, Kylie was one of nine writers on Cheryl’s hit, “Love Made Me Do It.”
READ MORE: Cheryl Tweedy makes rare public appearance alongside Celebrity Traitors icon
Pakistan and Afghanistan have traded blame for brief cross-border fighting, as delegations from both countries met in Turkiye for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire following deadly clashes last month.
Thursday’s talks in Istanbul are intended to finalise a truce approved on October 19 in Qatar that ended a week of deadly clashes between the South Asian neighbours, which killed dozens of people, including soldiers and civilians, and wounded hundreds of others.
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Security issues are at the heart of their dispute, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of harbouring groups such as the Pakistan Taliban (TTP), which is accused of launching attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban government in Afghanistan denies these allegations.
“While the third round of negotiations with the Pakistani side has begun in Istanbul, unfortunately, this afternoon Pakistani forces once again opened fire on Spin Boldak, causing concern among the local population,” Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday.
The city of Spin Boldak is located in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.
“The Islamic Emirate’s forces, out of respect for the negotiation team and to prevent civilian casualties, have so far shown no reaction,” Mujahid said on X.
Pakistan denied the accusation, pinning the blame on Afghanistan.
“We strongly reject claims circulated by the Afghan side regarding today’s incident at the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting posted on X. “Firing was initiated from the Afghan side, to which our security forces responded immediately in a measured and responsible manner.”
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban authorities, told the AFP news agency that “we don’t know the reason” for the Pakistani fire.
Ali Mohammed Haqmal, head of Kandahar’s information department, said the firing was brief. Residents told AFP it lasted 10-15 minutes.
Pakistan confirmed that calm had been restored.
Negotiations in Istanbul reached an impasse last week when it came to finalising ceasefire details, with each side accusing the other of not being willing to cooperate.
Both sides also warned of a resumption of hostilities in case of failure.
Despite the ceasefire, all important border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain closed to trade and civilian movement. The crossings were shut on October 12, though Pakistan has partially reopened two of those to allow Afghan refugees to return home.
Host Turkiye said at the conclusion of last week’s talks that the parties had agreed to establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to maintain peace and penalise violators.
Fifty civilians were killed and 447 others wounded on the Afghan side of the border during clashes that began on October 9, according to the United Nations. At least five people died in explosions in Kabul that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan.
Pauline Collins once revealed that giving up her firstborn child for adoption was the most heartbreaking decision she had ever made, but she was later reunited with her daughter
Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor
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Pauline Collins once opened up about her most heartbreaking decision(Image: PA)
Pauline Collins’ decision to give up her firstborn was the “most awful thing” she ever did. The legendary Shirley Valentine actress died at her care home in Highgate, North London, this week. She was 85 years old.
Her family said she died “peacefully” surrounded by her loved ones, having battled Parkinson’s for several years. In her memoir, Letter To Louise, released in 1992, Pauline opened up about the toughest decision she has ever made in her life.
Aged just 22, as a working actress in Ireland, she fell pregnant with her first child. In a heartbreaking move, she made the decision to put Louise, her daughter, up for adoption – a decision she kept from her friends and family for several years. Pauline, of Irish extraction, was brought up as a devout Catholic in Wallasey, Cheshire.
In her memoir, she spoke of the heartbreaking time. “I had her adopted when she was six weeks old,” Collins wrote. She went on to add: “It was the most awful thing ever to do.
“It’s extraordinary how you make these decisions in life. I thought my reasons for doing so were good. They were partly familial because my parents were teachers at Catholic schools and partly because I had not a penny in the world and nothing to offer this child.
“It is extraordinary thinking about it now because it means so little now. I remember thinking at one time if she was a boy it wasn’t so bad to be an illegitimate boy it was somehow more romantic. But it was tougher being an illegitimate girl because there would always people saying she will go the same way as her mother. For that reason I decided on adoption.”
Pauline continued: “It was awful, it broke my heart. It was like having a piece of your heart ripped out. I think it floors you for the rest of your life.” Later in Pauline’s life, her daughter, Louise, aged 21, tracked her down and they were reunited with one another.
But after her decision, Pauline knew the pair would be reunited someday, and it would be Louise who made the first move. She said: “I felt absolutely delighted when I opened her letter. I wasn’t surprised as three days before I had this extraordinary dream about her in which she was speaking to me so I knew it was coming. My three children were delighted.”
Pauline’s daughter, Kate, once wished for a sister and two weeks later, Louise came calling. Pauline starred in the first serithe es of sitcom The Liver Birds but did not become a household name until getting a regular role in Upstairs Downstairs in 1971.
She married fellow actor John Alderton in 1969. Her role in the 1989 film Shirley Valentine, playing the lead character of the bored Liverpudlian housewife, earned her an Oscar nomination.
Confirming her death, a statement read: “We are heartbroken to announce that Pauline Collins died peacefully at her care home in Highgate this week, having endured Parkinson’s for several years.
“She was surrounded by her family. Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens.
“She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine – a role that she made all her own. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them. More than anything, though, she was our loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma. Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us. And she was John’s life-long love. A partner, work collaborator, and wife of 56 years.”
The statement ended saying: “We particularly want to thank her carers: angels who looked after her with dignity, compassion, and most of all love. She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers, so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her.”
Her husband, John Alderton, whom she married in 1969, said: “Pauline Collins was a remarkable star. I had the great good fortune to have worked with her more than any other actor in our many TV series, films and West End stage shows together, and watched her genius at close quarters.
“What I saw was not only her brilliant range of diverse characters but her magic of bringing out the best in all of the people she worked with. She wanted everyone to be special and she did this by never saying ‘Look at me’. It’s no wonder that she was voted the nation’s sweetheart in the 1970s. She will always be remembered for Shirley Valentine, not only for her Oscar nomination or the film itself, but for clean-sweeping all seven awards when she portrayed her on Broadway in the stage play, in which she played every character herself.
“But her greatest performance was as my wife and mother to our beautiful children.” The actress’s family said that anyone wishing to donate in her memory can make a donation to Parkinson’s UK via their website, here.
If you have been affected by this story, you can contact Parkinson’s UK’s helpline on 0808 800 0303
