An ex-Marvel writer says one of the MCU’s most common complaints is being addressed: “Some of their series should have been films… they’re taking that more into account now”

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

After Armor Wars’ creative overhaul, its former writer says Marvel has learned from its past mistakes and is putting “more thought” into what should be a movie and what should be a Disney Plus series.Ex-Armor Wars head writer Yassir Lester has suggested in an interview with ComicBook.com that the Rhodey-centric project’s shift from a TV show to a movie is thanks to a change in behind-the-scenes thinking at Marvel Studios.”I think that Marvel is constantly in a state of ‘What is the most interesting?’” Lester said. “And I … honestly believe some of their films should have been series and some of their series should have been films. And I think that they’re taking that more into account, giving that a little bit more thought now.”While it’s not a recent complaint, fans have pointed to certain series – such as Secret Invasion and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – feeling more like a movie spread out over six parts rather than an episode-by-episode TV show. Now, it seems, that will change moving forward.That will be a relief to those who have followed Armor Wars over the years, especially for fans who have been acutely aware of the back-and-forth nature of its production.Initially announced as a Disney Plus series by Kevin Feige in 2020 with Yassir Lester joining as head writer a year later, the project went into development limbo for around 18 months before – in 2022 – The Hollywood Reporter revealed that it would be reworked as a movie.Since then, there’s been practically radio silence on the project – with even star Don Cheadle, who plays Rhodey in the MCU, left in the dark.Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox”You can find out and let me know,” Cheadle told TVLine when asked for an Armor Wars update earlier this month.”I don’t know, I’m not sure where anything is right now. I think things are going through a lot of changes, and we’ll see what happens, we’ll see what it is.”For more on the MCU, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

Marine transport services restart in Business Bay, Water Canal areas

Business News

Image: RTA

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has resumed marine transport services around the Water Canal and Business Bay, following the completion of enhancement works.
This initiative aligns with RTA’s comprehensive marine transport plan for 2020-2030.
The revitalised service operates on two lines, linking key tourist attractions and residential areas.
Khalaf Hassan Abdullah Belghuzooz Al Zarooni, director of Marine Transport at RTA, said: “The aim of developing and resuming the operation of these lines is to facilitate public movement and enhance the attractiveness of waterfront developments.”
Marine transport services: Details
The first line, designated DC2, operates from 8am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 10am to 10pm on Sundays, with intervals of 30 to 50 minutes.
It connects stations at Waterfront, Marasi, Business Bay, Godolphin and Sheikh Zayed Road, offering commuters a convenient route to business and leisure hubs.
The second line, DC3, runs on Saturdays and Sundays from 4pm to 11pm, linking Al Jaddaf Station with the Dubai Design District Marine Transport Station. This service operates in both directions and provides efficient access for passengers wanting to connect to the Creek Metro Station on the Green Line.
The DC3 line operates every 35 minutes and charges Dhs2 per stop on both routes
In recent news, RTA announced a policy change, lifting its ban on e-scooters inside Dubai Metro and Tram.

Call for South-east Asian climate scientists: Localised ideas needed for UN’s IPCC reports

Science and Health

SINGAPORE – Two leading scientists from Singapore and Malaysia – both co-chairs under the UN’s top climate science body – are calling for more experts from South-east Asia to contribute to the next series of reports on the state of climate change.
These comprehensive reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) give world leaders the most up-to-date information on climate change to help shape policies to combat this planetary crisis.
The IPCC – which publishes the latest findings on climate science, global warming impacts and strategies to drive down carbon emissions – is in its seventh assessment cycle, which started in 2023.

“Important climate information from South-east Asia is under-represented in global scientific assessments,” said Singapore’s Professor Winston Chow, co-chair of the IPCC Working Group II – which will produce a report on climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability.
“(Researchers from the region) can help in assessing climate science and shaping action for our rapidly developing cities and for our most climate-vulnerable communities and ecosystems,” he added.
In particular, there needs to be more localised solutions and ways to prevent disasters specific to South-east Asia, said Prof Chow, pointing to rising humid heat – which can be fatal – sea-level rise and severe storms.

“In Indo-China, particularly coastal cities, it’s not just sea-level rise that’s the only issue. It’s also the tropical cyclones that are affecting many coastal cities in the Philippines and in Vietnam. Sea-level rise is also complicated with issues of land subsidence, especially in Jakarta,” the professor of urban climate at SMU told The Straits Times.

On Oct 24, Prof Chow and Malaysia’s Dr Joy Jacqueline Pereira – co-chair of the IPCC Working Group III, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions – held a dialogue with more than 140 climate researchers and practitioners from the region, both in-person at the Resorts World Convention Centre and online.
That same day, the severe tropical storm Trami lashed the northern Philippines, killing at least 40 people and displacing more than 150,000.
The co-chairs shared with the experts about the IPCC processes and how they could contribute to the seventh cycle as authors of reports or academic reviewers, among other roles.

Each IPCC cycle runs for five to seven years, and all the scientific tomes from the current cycle are expected to be published between 2027 and 2029. The previous cycle, which ended in early 2023, produced 29.3kg of reports.
“We want to shrink that for the seventh assessment cycle,” Prof Chow said, noting that some have compared the IPCC to a “broken record, saying the same thing over and over again without getting things done”.

Manitoba-based wire transfer scheme defrauded Calgary business of nearly $700K, lawsuit alleges

Business News

A Calgary vision centre is suing a Winnipeg company, a bank and others, alleging fraudsters accessed an employee’s email and took more than $700,000 through a shadowy bank wire scheme.The statement of claim filed by Clearview Eye Centre last week in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench alleges unidentified fraudsters, named in the suit as John Doe and Jane Doe, infiltrated the email of Clearview’s office manager and impersonated employees of another business the vision centre was working with.Clearview had hired Jerilyn Wright and Associates, a design firm, and Persimmon Contracting for work on construction of the eye centre’s clinic, the lawsuit says.The vision centre first received a legitimate email from staff at Jerilyn Wright and Associates on July 9, 2024, with an invoice for around $105,000 to be paid to Persimmon Contracting. Several JWA and Persimmon employees were copied on the email.On July 23, Clearview received a followup email that appeared to be from JWA and seemed to have the same employees cc’d. It was later discovered the email was actually from the fraudsters, and the cc’d email addresses were slightly different, with just one letter changed in each address.The fraudsters claimed Persimmon’s banking information had changed, and that it would no longer be accepting cheques, the suit says.A second fraudulent email, sent July 26, indicated the payment for the July 9 invoice should instead by wired to an account at a Winnipeg Bank of Nova Scotia branch.The account used in the alleged fraud was opened at a Winnipeg Scotiabank location, the lawsuit says. The account has since been frozen, according to the suit.