The incredible £1bn motorway set to connect iconic tourist city with rest of the country

Travel

Croatia has invested a staggering 1.2 billion euros (£1 billion) into a huge motorway project, which will involve over 29 miles of motorway and over nine miles of connecting roads.To complete the network, one crucial segment is set to be built that will connect the iconic city of Dubrovnik in the south with Metković and the rest of the country.The eyewatering investment addresses challenging terrain and promises improved safety and regional connectivity.It is considered to be the most expensive motorway in the country due to the complexity of the terrain, which requires extensive viaducts and tunnels.”This is practically the worst possible terrain for highway construction,” Associate Professor Marko Ševrović from the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences told the The Dubrovnik Times. “The route runs through a very narrow area, bordered by the sea on one side and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the other. The project involves numerous viaducts, bridges, and tunnels. Additionally, the area is densely populated, making junction placement and road functionality critical.”It will be built in two phases, with construction on the sections from Rudine to Slano and from Slano to Mravinjac expected to start this year and finish by 2029, according to HRT.Phase one covers the Osojnik-Dubrovnik section, while phase two will see the construction of the Metković-Pelješac Bridge section.Careful planning has also been required due to the densely populated areas in the region and its proximity to the Bosnia and Herzegovina border. The motorway will replace the dangerous D8 road, which is notorious for frequent accidents due to having 32 black spots and tight bends. “Safety is perhaps the most critical aspect of this highway,” Ševrović added. “The current D8 state road is highly dangerous, with frequent accidents. If for no other reason, this highway is necessary to enhance safety. But of course, it will also integrate Dubrovnik into Croatia’s highway network.”Despite the costs it is expected to incur, officials have highlighted the strategic, economic and security benefits of the project, including benefits to tourism.Dubrovnik is considered to be cut off from the rest of Croatia because of a narrow strip of land along the coast which belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina, called the Neum corridor. This means that anyone travelling by land from other Croatian cities such as Split must cross an international border into Bosnia and then back again to reach the city. The Pelješac Bridge was built to connect Croatia’s mainland to the Pelješac peninsula, which is connected to Dubrovnik. A journey between Split and Croatia currently takes just under three hours on its fastest route.

Toronto Film Festival Picks Best Canadian Films of 2024

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Toronto Film Festival programmers have unveiled their annual list of the best Canadian films of the year.

The 24th annual selection of Canadian movies offers up fictional films and documentaries by emerging and established directors, including David Cronenberg, Matthew Rankin, Guy Maddin and Kaniehtiio Horn.  

TIFF programmers each year manage to showcase homegrown indie pics by putting them up against Hollywood and other foreign heavyweight movies during the annual September event. So the Canada’s Top Ten selections allow the festival to return in early 2025 to celebrate Canadian films on their own.

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“This year’s Canada’s Top Ten celebrates the very best of Canadian cinema, showcasing the bold artistry of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers and the fresh perspectives of emerging voices,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “The selection reflects Canada’s eclectic cultural landscape and a renaissance in risk-taking cinema.”

The latest Canada’s Top Ten selections will screen at Bell Lightbox in Toronto.

Here’s the top Canadian feature films of 2024, as chosen by film pickers at TIFF:

1. Universal Language

Director Matthew Rankin’s absurdist comedy earned an audience prize for the best film in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes film festival, and his film has been shortlisted in the best international feature category at the Academy Awards. The film in the Farsi and French languages is an offbeat homage to Iranian cinema that takes place in the Canadian cities of Montreal and Winnipeg, and Rankin reimagines a Canada where Farsi is now a dominant tongue.

Universal Language

Directors’ Fortnight

2. The Shrouds

David Cronenberg’s body horror flick stars Vincent Cassel as Karsh, a businessman overwhelmed with grief at the death of his wife who builds a device — a high-tech shroud — to watch her body decompose in real-time. But one night, multiple graves, including that of Karsh’s wife, are desecrated and Karsh looks to track down the perpetrators.

The Shrouds

3. Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story

The SXSW documentary by directors Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, and executive produced by Elliot Page, uncovers how the pioneering American transgender R&B singer Jackie Shane packed Toronto nightclubs in the 1960s, only to vanish in 1971 for a life of privacy and solitude on her own terms.

Luca Tarantini and Jared Raab

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story

4. Can I Get a Witness?

Director Ann-Marie Fleming’s sci-fi thriller, starring Sandra Oh, is set in the near future in which, to save the planet, death is everyone’s job. And while 50-year-olds make the sacrifice, teenage artists have to document the deaths in the live action and animated feature.

Can I Get a Witness?

Courtesy of TIFF

5. Seeds

Reservation Dogs and Letterkenny actor Kaniehtiio Horn was tired of not being handed a movie lead role, so she directed her first feature that weaves her Mohawk roots into a genre-bending home invasion comedy. Amid all the laughs, there’s a deeper message about a family battling evil from Big Ag corporations.

Seeds

LevelFilm

6. Rumours

Directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson satirize the ineffectual meagerness of global summits and draft resolutions in their Cannes-premiering romp. The dark comedy stars Alicia Vikander, Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, Rolando Ravello and Takehiro Hira. The indie was also Maddin’s first film to be officially programming in Cannes.

Rumours

7. 40 Acres

Director R.T. Thorne’s survival thriller in the English and Cree languages stars Danielle Deadwyler as a fiercely protective mother fighting to keep her family safe in a famine-decimated world. The indie drama serves as an allegory for current political and economic issues in the age of Black Lives Matter, food insecurity and Indigenous land rights. 

40 Acres

Courtesy of TIFF

8. Matt and Mara

Director Kazik Radwanski’s character drama stars Deragh Campbell as Mara, a young professor struggling through marriage, only to meet Matt, played by Matt Johnson, a man from her past who wanders onto her university campus. The film reteams Campbell and Johnson, who starred in Radwanski’s Anne at 13,000 Ft.

Matt and Mara

MDFF

9. Paying For It

Director and co-writer Sook-Yin Lee’s comedy follows an introverted cartoonist and his girlfriend looking to reshape their relationship by having him sleep with sex workers, only to discover a new kind of intimacy in the process. The indie starring Dan Beirne, Emily Le and Andrea Werhun adapted the graphic novel by Chester Brown.

Paying For It

10. Shepherds

Director Sophie Deraspe’s French language drama follows Mathyas, a Montreal copywriter, becoming a sheep shepherd in the French Alps. He’s joined by Elise, a civil servant who has abruptly quit her own job, and gives Mathyas’ journey a new direction. Together, with around 800 sheep to herd, they define a new way to live on a mountainside.

Shepherds

In photos: California wildfires

US & Canada

California firefighters battled wind-whipped wildfires that tore across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as officials prepared for the situation to worsen early Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. This post was originally published on here

Tech association warns Trump tariffs could reduce US purchasing power by $143 billion

Technology

Why it matters: Another warning has been issued about the potential impact of the Trump administration’s tariff proposals. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) writes that the extra cost of technology products could lead to a decline in US purchasing power of up to $143 billion. With purchases of laptops and tablets declining by as much as 68%, the tariffs could spoil what is set to be a record year for technology retail revenue in the United States.

Trump has said he plans to impose 10% to 20% tariffs on imported goods, while imports from China will be hit with an additional 60% tariff. He also proposed a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports

The CTA writes that Americans are set to spend a record $537 billion on consumer technology this year, up 3.2%, but that doesn’t factor in the potential impact of the tariffs.

The organization writes that more expensive tech goods could lead to a spending decline of $90 billion to $143 billion. The report suggests that purchases of laptops and tablets could decline by as much as 68%, gaming console purchases could drop by as much as 58%, and consumption of smartphones could fall by up to 37%.

The CTA also believes that the tariffs could push laptop and tablet prices up by 45% in the US. Game consoles would become 45% more expensive, monitors would see a 31% rise, and smartphones would be up 26%.

“The tech sector is America’s economic engine, driving global innovation and job creation,” said CTA CEO Gary Shapiro. “Our positive forecast reflects the industry’s strength, but proposed tariffs threaten the deflationary power of tech in the global economy. Tariffs are a tax on American businesses and consumers. We urge the incoming administration and Congress to prioritize an Innovation Agenda that fosters growth.”

The report also disputes Trump’s assertion that the tariffs would bring manufacturing back to the US. The CTA predicts that it will simply move from China to other countries where it is cheaper to operate than in North America. Even if manufacturing did come back to US shores, the tech industry would still rely on Chinese suppliers for many components.

It’s not just general consumer tech goods that could see price increases. It was reported last month that Nvidia and AMD are increasing the production and shipping rate of their upcoming GPUs so they can avoid the Trump administration’s tariffs – at least for a while.

THIS movie beats Pushpa 2 with its spine chilling scenes, it is trending on OTT, the actors are…

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Currently, Allu Arjun starrer Pushpa 2 is in the news and the film is getting all the love. It is breaking all the records at the box office. The songs, dialogues of the movie have become quite famous. Everyone is enjoying the movie at the theatres and are now waiting for the film to come on OTT soon. However, until it comes on OTT, there are some amazing movies on OTT already. There are many psychological thrillers that have released and it is one of the most watched genres. However, we have seen some amazing psychological thrillers made by the South industry. Also Read – Baahubali, RRR and Pushpa 2: How SS Rajamouli and Sukumar are revolutionising Pan-Indian cinema
There are many Malyalam movies made in this genre. There is one such movie that has spin-chilling scenes. The movie has grabbed attention on OTT and is trending on number 1 on Hotstar. Yes, we are talking about the movie, Athiran. It is a Malyalam psychological thriller that was released in 2019. Also Read – Pushpa 2 The Rule Reloaded: 20 minutes of bonus footage to be added to Allu Arjun film
The movie stars Fahadh Faasil, Sai Pallavi, Atul Kulkarni, Renji Panicker, Shanthi Krishna and Sudev Nair in pivotal roles. Prakash Raj also has a cameo in the movie. The film is directed by Vivek and bankrolled by Raju Mathew. It is similar to Hollywood film Stonehearst Asylum. Also Read – Ram Charan offers Rs 10 lakh aid to families after Game Changer event accident
The film is about mental illness, power dynamics, and the human psyche. It has some really brilliant scenes and the actors have really outdone themselves in terms of performance. Fahadh Faasil portrays doctor in the film and has done an amazing job. He has proved that he is one of the most versatile actors in the country.
He is also a part of Pushpa 2: The Rule. He played the role of antagonist Bhanawar Singh Shekhawat. The movie also stars Rashmika Mandanna as the female lead. The movie released on December 5 and has become the highest grossing film of 2024 in India.

High Plains Book Awards nominations open

Arts & Culture, Books

Nominations for the 2025 High Plains Book Awards opened Jan. 6 and will be accepted through March 7. Information and nomination forms can be found online at

http://highplainsbookawards.org

.The Billings Public Library Board of Directors established the High Plains Book Awards in 2007 to recognize regional authors and/or literary works that examine and reflect life on the High Plains. The High Plains region includes Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

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The 2025 awards feature 13 book categories: Art and Photography, Children’s Picture Book, Children’s Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, First Book, Indigenous Writer, Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Stories, Woman Writer, and Big Sky Award.Nominated books must be published for the first time in 2024. Winners of each category will be announced at an awards event held in October 2025 in Billings, Montana, and each winner will receive $500 provided by sponsors.Each nominated book is read and evaluated by four community readers.Finalist books in each category will be announced in June. Winners in each category will be determined by a panel of published writers with connections to the High Plains region.For more information about the High Plains Book Awards, visit

www.highplainsbookawards.org

or contact Shari Nault, High Plains Book Awardspresident, at 406-672-6223 or [email protected]

Airbnb shock in Spain as 73% of tourist flats in city loved by Brits ‘illegal’

Travel

The popular tourist city of Alicante is cracking down on the huge numbers of Airbnb and tourist flats.Up to 20% of homes in districts including the Old Town, San Juan beach and city centre are rental holiday accommodations, according to The Olive Press. A new city council study has revealed that Alicante has witnessed around a 23% increase in flats being rented out via the internet in the last year. The majority are offered online without the necessary permits, the authority added.To legally rent out a property in the short term to tourists in Alicante, landlords are required to register the property with the Valencian Tourism Registry and obtain a Tourist Use House License, which involves submitting a declaration of tourist use.The report calculates that there are around 3,555 tourist homes in Alicante, meaning that, according to the council, 2,596 are being advertised on the Airbnb platform without a registration number issued by the Valencian government. In areas like San Juan beach, a staggering 75% of promoted holiday properties do not have the mandatory registration. The new report comes shortly after the city council overwhelmingly approved an up to two year moratorium on awarding new holiday home rental licences. Rocío Gómez, the area’s urban planning councillor, explained that the two-year ban would provide an opportunity to review and refine regulations governing holiday rentals.“We aim to purify all those homes that do not comply with the regulations,” she said. She added that each district of the city will be studied to establish an appropriate number of holiday homes in the neighbourhood.Other top Spanish destinations have already announced similar limits, while Barcelona’s mayor, Kaume Collboni, also announced plans to ban short-term rentals in the Catalan capital from November 2028. Alicante, a port city on the east coast of the mainland, is one of the most popular destinations for British tourists, boasting stunning beaches, amazing restaurants and a vibrant nightlife. In December, Spain opened an investigation into Airbnb for failing to delete thousands of rental offers from its platform in an attempt to curb the business which has been blamed by authorities and many residents for contributing to housing shortages and soaring real estate prices.As of January 7, the average monthly rent for a property in the Alicante province was 1,371 euros (£1,141), with a single bedroom apartment costing 1,289 euros (£1,073). According to the council, the average nightly price for the 3,555 tourist homes in Alicante advertised on the Airbnb portal was an eyewatering 107 euros (£89).With these unbeatable prices, it is therefore not surprising that an increasing number of landlords are turning towards renting to tourists instead of long-term residents in order to increase their profits.