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Irish Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish tourists' horror as taxi driver forces hotel room entry to try & kiss them
Two Irish tourists have revealed the horror moment when a taxi driver forced his way into their hotel room and tried to kiss them after a night out. Samantha Johnson was put into a headlock by the dangerous predator before pal Saorla van Heerden "forcefully ripped him off". The 20-year-olds tried to reason with the man by asking what was going on, but he was "adamant" and wouldn't leave them alone. After shouting and pleading for him to leave, they eventually managed to push him out of their room and lock the door. "I ended up throwing up and Sam passed out on the bed," Saorla told What's The Jam. "It was a bit of a blur, I think we were a bit in shock about what happened." The pair, from Belfast, were in Albufeira, Portugal, on a last-minute getaway when the horror unfolded. Saorla, a student, said: "We were out on the strip on our first night when Sam was feeling really tired, so we decided to get a taxi home. "We went up to a taxi and the man inside told us it was cash only." Saorla volunteered to go into the hotel at the end of the journey to get the cash to pay for the trip, while Sam offered to stay in the taxi until her friend got back "to show we weren't going to run off". But suddenly, the situation turned from friendly to frightening. Sam, an apprentice, said: "I was sitting in the taxi just having a casual conversation with him, when he decided to get out of the car. I was a bit confused. "He came round and opened my door, and without saying a word, he took me out of the taxi and put me in a headlock. I was in a lot of shock and kept asking if he was OK. "He dragged me round to where Saorla had gone to our flat to get the cash." When Sam saw the man walking towards her with her friend in a headlock, she was stunned. She said: "I can't remember what was said, but he carried Sam into the room and then tried to kiss her. "I forcefully ripped him off, but he kept coming back to her - I had to put my hand in between their faces at one point. "I started shouting - telling him to get off and get out - but he was pretty adamant on kissing one of us." The man also tried to kiss Saorla, who was shouting at him to leave. Sam said: "At that point, we both pushed him out the door and locked it." The pals have shared their story of the incident on TikTok, where it has gathered over 90,000 views. In the clip, Sam can be seen speaking to the camera as she tells their story. The women said they chose to speak out in an effort to raise awareness and offer support to others who may have experienced similar situations. Sam added: "We're going to order Ubers from now on because they seem like the safer option. And we lock the doors at all times. "I was not as affected by the event as Saorla was. She was definitely more concerned. "We definitely were worried the same guy would pop up again - I remember scanning every taxi guy we saw on the street." The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Time of India
03-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Kerch bridge hit by Ukraine with underwater explosives: Why is the Crimean Bridge is so important to Putin?
Ukraine has detonated a massive underwater blast targeting the key road and rail bridge connecting the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula to Russia, damaging its underwater supports. The Ukrainian Security Service, known by its acronym SBU, claimed it damaged the foundations of the Kerch Bridge linking Russia and illegally annexed Crimea — a key artery for Russian military supplies in the war. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why is the Crimean Bridge is so important to Vladimir Putin? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Traffic resumes across Kerch bridge Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on Tuesday that it had carried out an underwater explosive attack on the road and rail bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula . According to the SBU, the operation involved 1,100 kilograms (2,420 pounds) of explosives, which were detonated early in the morning, damaging the bridge's underwater pillars. The structure is a crucial supply route for Russian military forces operating in Ukraine.A Russian state outlet that regularly reports on the bridge's status confirmed that operations were halted for approximately three hours, from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. local time. While no official explanation for the closure was given, the outlet stated that the bridge had since reopened and was operating Kerch Bridge , spanning 19 kilometers (12 miles) across the Kerch Strait , serves as Russia's only physical link to Crimea and is a vital supply route for Russian forces operating in Ukraine. The Kerch Bridge is strategically important because it links Russia's Krasnodar region with Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, according to the Krasnodar Krai region to eastern Crimea, the bridge was opened in 2018 following Russia's annexation of the peninsula in 2014 and was inaugurated by President Vladimir bridge holds administrative, strategic, and symbolic significance for Russia. It provides a direct connection between mainland Russia's transport infrastructure and Crimea, playing a critical role in the logistical support of Russian military operations in the structure comprises separate road and rail sections, both supported by concrete stilts. At the strait's navigable channel—between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov—the bridge features wider spans held aloft by steel arches to allow ship bridge holds immense symbolic significance for Russia. Spanning 12 miles and costing approximately $3.7 billion, it is the longest in Europe and a powerful symbol of Putin's ambition to absorb Ukraine and permanently tether it to its symbolism, the bridge serves a vital logistical role—supplying Crimea with essential goods, military equipment, fuel, and civilian necessities. Russian military convoys have frequently used it to transport vehicles, armor, and fuel in support of their full-scale invasion of has resumed across Crimea's Kerch Bridge, hours after Ukraine said it struck the bridge with underwater explosives, reported BBC. The early morning explosion followed an operation lasting "several months", Kyiv's security service said. Ukraine has attacked the bridge twice before, in 2022 and Monday, a second round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul, Turkey, but concluded without any significant the lack of progress on key issues, both sides agreed to expand their prisoner exchanges, following a large swap involving hundreds of soldiers last and its European allies reiterated their call for an unconditional ceasefire, but Kyiv's negotiators reported that Russia once again rejected the the Russian delegation proposed a temporary truce along the front line, lasting two to three days in specific the talks led to agreements on several humanitarian measures. Both countries committed to repatriating the bodies of 12,000 fallen soldiers and to exchanging all seriously wounded or ill prisoners of war, as well as those under the age of had been low going into the talks. Deep divisions persist over how to end the conflict, and reports of renewed attacks from both sides emerged just hours before negotiations began.(With agency inputs)
Associated Press
17-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Instant quantum connectivity: Delft Circuits unveils turnkey HD I/O system solving quantum utility scalability bottlenecks
256 channels and modular design shatter coax limitations offering unprecedented scalability without the need for larger quantum refrigerators Ready-to-deploy system eliminates quantum hardware integration hurdles Available for all Cri/oFlex products, enabling progress in various fields including superconducting, spin and photonic qubits DELFT, Netherlands and ANAHEIM, Calif., March 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Delft Circuits, a leading innovator in high-density connectivity solutions, launched its groundbreaking turnkey High-Density Input/Output (HD I/O) system, specifically engineered to meet the demanding needs of the quantum computing utility era. Launched at the APS Global Physics Summit 2025, this comprehensive system is poised to transform how researchers and developers connect control electronics to Quantum Processing Units (QPUs), offering a streamlined and readily deployable solution to overcome critical scalability challenges. Wiring density is increasingly becoming a limiting factor in quantum computing. Delft Circuits' new HD I/O system directly addresses this by offering a readily available package that eliminates the complexities and time-consuming integration typically associated with setting up high-density connectivity for quantum computers. The module boasts an impressive 256 channels, allowing control of up to 64 qubits per module. Its modular loader design enables expansion in increments of 32 channels. This modularity and high density translate to a doubling of channel capacity without the need for a larger quantum refrigerator. It comes at a lower price point than conventional coaxial cables with the closest high-density coax alternative having 168 channels per port. The HD I/O system is available for all Cri/oFlex products and is known for its ultra-small formfactor due to its flexible strip-line design with integrated components for signal conditioning. Standard coaxial cables require filters to be integrated per channel, per cryostat stage location to protect qubits from electromagnetic signals, which often introduces multiple points of failure. By having these filters already integrated, Cri/oFlex increases reliability and allows upscale to higher density cabling solutions. This further simplifies adoption and progress for researchers and developers in various quantum application fields. Daan Kuitenbrouwer, CCO & Founder, Delft Circuits: 'We have addressed the scaling problem in quantum computing. For years, our customers in the quantum computing space have voiced a clear need: a simple, scalable solution to move beyond the limitations of coaxial cables. With this turnkey HD I/O system, we're delivering on that demand. It's not just about increased density and lower cost - it's about providing a complete, ready-to-deploy package that lets researchers focus on their quantum algorithms and breakthroughs, not on intricate hardware integration.' Dr. Thorsten Last, Executive Director at OrangeQS: 'The scalability of cryogenic I/O has been a looming challenge for the quantum computing industry. Coaxial solutions are not dense enough for the deployment or testing of utility-scale quantum chips. We rely on companies like Delft Circuits to develop ready-to-use, high-density solutions, like their new High-Density Input/Output (HD I/O) system. Progress on these components will remove a critical obstacle towards practical quantum computers and utility-scale quantum chip test equipment.'
