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This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to other readers. * If you submitted a question to me recently, please do not repost it here, as it may be in my queue to answer. View the full article

Outlay on items including consultants, planning and legal fees jumps from £800mn two years agoView the full article

My Apple devices have over 55,000 items in the Messages app. This includes texts, voice notes, photos, videos, gifs, and other attachments sent and received on multiple devices. Over time, Messages has threatened to become the second-largest occupier of my precious storage space, right after Photos. Fortunately, I took action at the right time to start getting rid of the cruft I don't need. I told myself that I don't need to be an iMessage archivist and I can begin letting go of some messages to free up some space. Here's how you can get rid of unnecessary items from iMessage to free up space on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iCloud. How to quickly free up iMessage storage space on your iPhone or iPad Credit: Pranay Parab To review how much space iMessage is taking up on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. If you haven’t cleared up unnecessary attachments in a long time, you could be staring at more than 50GB of iMessage attachments. If you are ready to delete entire chats, you can tap Top Conversations and hit the Edit button in the top-right corner. Select all the chats you want to delete and hit the Trash icon in the top-right corner of the page. This is the fastest way to free up a lot of space, but it tends to mess with your iMessage group chats. You may have to get yourself invited to those groups again if you use this method. For a more focused approach to deleting iMessage attachments, once again go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. Here, you can review each type of attachment—photos, videos, GIFs and stickers, and Other—one by one. Tap any of these categories and hit the Edit button in the top-right corner. Then, select all the attachments you don’t need and hit the Trash icon in the top-right corner to free up space. How to stop iMessage from filling up space on your iPhone Credit: Pranay Parab If you’re not careful, you’ll end up just accumulating more junk in iMessage again, so let’s take some preventive measures. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, and under Message History, tap Keep Messages. You can change this from Forever to 30 Days or 1 Year. This will automatically delete all iMessage texts and attachments older than the time you selected. Similarly, under Audio Messages on the same page, tap Expire and select After 2 Minutes to automatically clear unwanted voice notes. Return to the Messages settings page and scroll to the bottom. Here, you can enable Low-Quality Image Mode to reduce the size of images you send and receive on iMessage. This makes photos look a little blurry and sometimes makes it hard to see the text in screenshots, but if you’re really hurting for storage space, it’ll help. You can also stop your SMS messages from being forwarded automatically to your other Apple devices. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, SMS Forwarding and disable it for all the devices that you don't need to see those messages on. Note that this will not stop iMessage chats from appearing on those devices. Bulk delete large iMessage attachments on your Mac Credit: Pranay Parab Like on your phone, you can also quickly free up storage space on your Mac by deleting large attachments from the Messages app. On your Mac, go to System Settings > General > Storage and click the i button next to Messages. This will reveal all the large attachments hiding within your Messages app. If you go to each chat manually, these attachments are hard to track down. Instead, click any attachment here, press Command-A to select all of them, and hit the Delete button to get rid of them. How to reduce iMessage’s impact on your iCloud storage space Credit: Pranay Parab iCloud space is also an important part of this conversation. If you find that iMessage is taking up more iCloud space than you can afford to spare, on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [YOUR NAME] > iCloud and tap Messages. Now disable Use on this iPhone. This will remove your text messages from your iCloud backups and free up space. However, it’ll also stop syncing SMS messages across Apple devices, so be aware of that. On your Mac, this option is under System Settings > [YOUR NAME] > iCloud > Messages. For a more piecemeal approach, on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [YOUR NAME] > iCloud > Messages > Manage Storage. Tap Top Conversations and remove the chats you don’t want on iCloud. You can always still return to the previous page and tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud to remove Messages from iCloud entirely. View the full article

Treasury secretary’s remarks come as Taipei has become nervous about shifting US stance on UkraineView the full article

After months of beta testing, DuckDuckGo's AI integrations are going live for everyone and getting some upgrades at the same time: They're free to use (with certain limits), and stay in line with DuckDuckGo's commitment to user privacy (you don't have to create an account to use them, and your searches aren't tracked). As with Google, Bing, ChatGPT, and others, you can now get AI answers to your web searches at DuckDuckGo. They appear in a small box with an Assist label attached, but they aren't as prominent and don't show up as often as they do on Google or Bing—DuckDuckGo is aiming for a less-is-more approach to the feature. You can decide how much AI you see. Credit: Lifehacker "We're not making AI features just for the sake of making AI features," writes DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg. "They have to be actually useful in everyday use, starting with helping people get faster, high-quality answers to their questions." With this in mind, you can tune down the amount of AI you see—head to the DuckDuckGo settings page, and under AI Features, there's a drop-down menu that lets you choose between Never, On-demand, Sometimes, and Often. If you choose either of the latter two, the search engine uses its best judgment as to which queries might benefit from AI answers and which won't. The second part of DuckDuckGo's AI offering is the Duck.ai chatbot. You can ask follow-up questions of the bot whenever you see an AI Assist response in search results, and you can also access it via its own web portal: You've got access to multiple AI models here, including GPT-4o mini, Llama 3.3, and Claude 3 Haiku. How the AI Assist box looks at the top of results. Credit: Lifehacker Chats are never saved on DuckDuckGo servers, or used to train AI models, and you can wipe all chats from the record using the flame icon in the toolbar on the right. Ideally, DuckDuckGo wants you to use a combination of web search, AI Assist, and AI chat to help you get the answers you're looking for. If you're wondering how all of this stays free without any tracking, DuckDuckGo makes its money from advertising—it's just that the ads aren't as targeted as they are on Google, because DuckDuckGo doesn't know anywhere near as much about you. The company is also exploring the idea of a paid plan for access to more advanced AI models and for extra chats with AI (there's already a $10-per-month pro-level subscription, which includes a VPN and some other extras). Testing out the DuckDuckGo AII spent some time playing around with the new AI features, and on the whole they follow the general DuckDuckGo ethos: Everything is simple, straightforward to use, cleanly presented, and accessible without having to jump through multiple hoops just to get started with these tools. With an AI Assist level of Sometimes, DuckDuckGo usually makes the right call about whether or not AI should get involved. The reason why these search engines are rushing to implement AI is that queries like "how does DNA work?" or "how do I fix a PC that won't boot?" are often better answered by a bot than the traditional list of links—especially if you can ask follow-up questions for clarification. You can quickly get to Duck.ai from the search results. Credit: Lifehacker For more traditional searches, like "Eiffel Tower" or "intermittent fasting," DuckDuckGo sticks to the standard approach (AI models have never been to France, or tried dieting). If you're looking for an AI response and one doesn't appear, you can click the Assist button to generate it. AI companies are often vague and dismissive when it comes to accuracy, so it's good to see DuckDuckGo addressing the issue: The AI Assist answers are "as reliable as the sources from which they are drawn," with measures in place to avoid spammy or satirical sites, and user feedback adding an extra level of verification. The web sources for AI answers are always clearly displayed, so you can click through to see the actual websites. All of the AI answers I received seemed fully accurate: I ran some tests with tech questions; the AI Assist tool picked some well-respected online publications to pull information from, and presented it accurately. There is the question of where we get to when AI is answering everything, and humans are no longer bothering to put enough information online for AI to scrape, but that's a topic for another day. You can ask follow-up questions within the search results themselves. Credit: Lifehacker I found the Duck.ai chatbot didn't appear as often as I would've liked, to ask follow-up questions. It's easy enough to switch to the chatbot manually, but then you find yourself bumping up against the knowledge cut-off points of these various models—they rely on historical training data rather than the latest information online. More work needs to be done on integrating live web search with AI here. On the whole, DuckDuckGo seems to have the balance right, if you want to avoid AI overload: The AI Assist feature doesn't always appear, and doesn't dominate the search results when it does show up. Answers are brief and accurate, and while there's a lot of competition out there, the privacy-first approach is reassuring. View the full article

Ornella Barra calls take-private deal a ‘strategic milestone’ for UK pharmacy chain View the full article

Leaders must empower others, share leadership, and foster an inclusive culture to ensure long-term success. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

Leaders must empower others, share leadership, and foster an inclusive culture to ensure long-term success. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Nintendo Switch Lite is already a solid pick for gamers who prefer a portable console, but this deal on Woot makes it even more tempting. For $164.99 (for the next two days or until it sells out)—down from its usual $199—you’re getting an open-box Singapore model that’s been fitted with an official Nintendo USA power adapter. That means functionally, it’s the same as the U.S. version, and it plays all U.S. and international Switch games without any issue. The only catch is that it's an open-box deal, so while it’s brand new, the box has been opened for the adapter swap. And since this is a Woot deal, it comes with a 90-day Woot limited warranty instead of Nintendo’s usual one-year coverage. Prime members get free shipping, but non-members will have to add $6 to their total. Nintendo Switch Lite $164.99 at Woot $199.00 Save $34.01 Get Deal Get Deal $164.99 at Woot $199.00 Save $34.01 If you like gaming on the go, the Switch Lite is a solid choice. It’s compact, lightweight, and easy to toss into a bag without worrying about detachable Joy-Cons sliding around. But that same portability comes with a trade-off—you can’t dock it to a TV, so handheld mode is your only option. Additionally, the controls are built into the system, meaning there’s no swapping Joy-Cons for multiplayer gaming unless you buy compatible controllers separately. But if you’re a solo gamer who mostly plays RPGs, platformers, or indie titles, this won’t be much of a downside. If you’re on the fence, PCMag has a detailed breakdown of whether the standard Switch or the Lite is the better choice. Specs-wise, the Switch Lite holds its own. It’s got an eight-inch screen, a 1.02 GHz processor, and a smooth 60 FPS frame rate. It also supports Bluetooth audio, so you’re not stuck using wired headphones, notes this PCMag review. Battery life is decent, ranging from three to seven hours depending on what you’re playing—Breath of the Wild will drain it faster than Stardew Valley. Storage is where things get tight, though. The built-in 32GB will fill up fast, so you’ll likely need a microSD card sooner rather than later (something like the 512GB SanDisk microSD, which is officially licensed for the Switch, could be a good pick). If you mostly play digital games, factor that into your budget. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. Google dropped the horrid page annotations feature, thankfully...View the full article

Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart. This time, wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida. It was not immediately known whether the spacecraft’s self-destruct system had kicked in to blow it up. The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket blasted off from Texas. SpaceX caught the first-stage booster back at the pad with giant mechanical arms, but engines on the spacecraft on top started shutting down as it streaked eastward for what was supposed to be a controlled entry over the Indian Ocean, half a world away. Contact was lost less than 10 minutes into the flight as the spacecraft went into an out-of-control spin. Starship reached nearly 90 miles (150 kilometers) in altitude before trouble struck and before four mock satellites could be deployed. It was not immediately clear where it came down, but images of flaming debris were captured from Florida, including near Cape Canaveral, and posted online. The space-skimming flight was supposed to last an hour. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would require SpaceX to investigate the accident. “Unfortunately this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now,” SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot said from the launch site. SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly” during the ascent engine firing and said it alerted safety officials. Flights were briefly grounded at Orlando International Airport “due to space launch debris in the area,” the airport posted on X. Starship didn’t make it quite as high or as far as last time. NASA has booked Starship to land its astronauts on the moon later this decade. SpaceX’s Elon Musk is aiming for Mars with Starship, the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket. Like last time, Starship had mock satellites to release once the craft reached space on this eighth test flight as a practice for future missions. They resembled SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites, thousands of which currently orbit Earth, and were meant to fall back down following their brief taste of space. Starship’s flaps, computers and fuel system were redesigned in preparation for the next big step: returning the spacecraft to the launch site just like the booster. During the last demo, SpaceX captured the booster at the launch pad, but the spacecraft blew up several minutes later over the Atlantic. No injuries or major damage were reported. According to an investigation that remains ongoing, leaking fuel triggered a series of fires that shut down the spacecraft’s engines. The on-board self-destruct system kicked in as planned. SpaceX said it made several improvements to the spacecraft following the accident, and the Federal Aviation Administration recently cleared Starship once more for launch. Starships soar out of the southernmost tip of Texas near the Mexican border. SpaceX is building another Starship complex at Cape Canaveral, home to the company’s smaller Falcon rockets that ferry astronauts and satellites to orbit. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. —Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer View the full article

Police described case as one of most significant espionage investigations in UK in decades View the full article

US president calls on Moscow to get to the bargaining table ‘right now’View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you own a Lectric XPeak 2.0 e-bike, it's possible to modify a ton of aspects of the bike right from the onboard screen, including changing the top speed, adjusting the throttle and pedal assist, controlling the lights, and more. But these settings are not readily understandable from the display alone, so here's a step-by-step guide to how to change settings on a Lectric e-bike, as well as some suggestions on which settings you should change, and which you definitely shouldn't. (You can check out my review of the Lectric XPeak 2.0 right here.) How to adjust the settings on a Lectric XPeak 2.0 e-bikeHere's how to access the settings menu of a Lectric XPeak 2.0 e-bike: Power the bike on. Hold down the "+" and "-" keys on the controller on the left handlebar for a few seconds, until you see this: Credit: Stephen Johnson Press the power-on button to toggle between each numbered setting. Use "+" and "-" keys to change their values—but don't change any settings until you know what you're changing. What do the different settings on a Lectric e-bike do?If you've gotten into the settings menu of your Lectric XPeak 2.0, you can see that the settings are labeled P-1 through P-22 with no other information available on screen. That's not a lot to go on, so here's what the settings do. (You'll notice there are a few settings I skip over—I'll go over that in another section below.) P1: Changes the brightness of the display screen. There are three settings. "1" is dimmest. "3" is brightest. Default is 2. P2: Toggles between miles and kilometers. "0" is kilometers. "1" is miles. P4: Sleep timer: Changes how long it will take for the bike to power off if not used. The default is 10 minutes, but you change it from "0" (which means it never automatically turns off) to 60 minutes. P6: Tire size: You can change this from 27 to 31. This is used to compute distance and speed, and shouldn't be changed unless you've changed tire size from the default, 29.2. P8: Speed limit: This sets the bike's top speed. 32 is a "Class 2" setting, meaning the top speed is 20 mph. 45 is "Class 3," boosting the speed limit to 28 mph when using pedal assist. The default is 32, or 20 mph, so you'll need to change this if you want to go faster. P9: Throttle active toggle: Setting this to 0 means the throttle can be used from a standstill. Setting it to 1 means the throttle can only be used when the bike is moving. P10: Throttle/pedal assist system toggle: There are three settings here: "0" means the pedal assist is active, but throttle is not. "1" means only the throttle is active, with no pedal assist. "2" means both PAS and throttle are active. The default is 2, which most users will want to use most of the time, but there are cases where it makes sense to change it (see below). P11: Multiplier toggle: This changes the torque on your bike. "0" is the default, normal torque multiplier. "1" is increased torque multiplier. If you want quicker acceleration, set this to "1," but don't change it until you know the bike fairly well—the default multiplier provides plenty of torque. I tested this out and didn't notice a ton of difference anyway. P12: Light control: "0" means "no light icon on the display means the front and rear lights are OFF. When the light icon is on, the front and rear lights are ON." Changing this to "1" means "The front and rear lights are flashing right away when bike is on. The icon on the display for light is flashing at the same rate as front and rear lights." When you turn the light on in setting one, you'll see an icon on the display screen with no flashing. P13: Walk mode speed: "0" sets the walk mode speed to 3mph. "1" is a slightly brisker 3.7 mph. P16: Odometer reset: Hold the "+" for 5 seconds to reset the odometer to "0." P20: Walk mode toggle: setting this to "0" disables walk mode. Setting this to "1" enables it. (To turn on walk mode, hold down the "-" button on the controller. If enabled, your bike will move forward at the speed you set on P13.) P22: Assistance level: "0" limits the pedal assist to 9mph if you're on pedal assist level 1 and 15 mph if you're on pedal assist level 2. The same "speed limit" applies to the throttle. "1" means the pedal assist is not speed limited on pedal assist levels 1 and 2, but the throttle is speed limited. "2" means there is no speed-limit on pedal assist or throttle, no matter what pedal assist level you're in. (Of course the bike's overall speed limit of either 20mph or 28mph still applies.) Which settings should you change on an XPeak 2.0?The setting that most users will be concerned with is P8, the speed limit of the bike. The default is a 20 mph speed limit that you can reach with either pedal assist or throttle, but you may want to boost it to 28 (assuming that a class 3 e-bike is legal in your local area and you're experienced enough to handle the extra speed.) This setting means the throttle or pedal assist will take you to 20 mph, then the throttle will cut off but you can use pedal assist to go up to 28 mph. There is no setting to use throttle control to go over 20 mph. Another setting to consider is P9, the throttle active toggle. The default setting means that the throttle can be activated from a standstill, but you might want to change it so the throttle can only work if the bike is in motion. If you accidentally hit the thumb throttle a lot, especially when walking your bike, this prevents your bike "jumping forward." P10 is another useful setting for some situations. In some places, it's not legal to ride a "class 2" e-bike, meaning one that has throttle control. This setting disables the throttle but allows the pedal assist, transforming your class 2 bike into a class 1. What about the rest of the settings?The Lectric XPeak 2.0 has 22 total settings that can be changed from the dashboard, but only 13 are listed above. I looked into it, and the nine "secret" settings on Lectric bikes are less exciting than I'd hoped. They're mostly settings that allow different models of bikes to use the same computer, so they change things like the voltage level of the battery and the magnet type. Do not change these settings; as far as I can tell, there's nothing to be gained from doing so. If you accidentally alter these somehow and you don't know the correct setting, do not ride the bike until you've spoken to someone at Lectric who can help you restore the proper values. "I messed up the settings on my Lectric XPeak 2.0! How can I fix it?"Sadly, there is no "return to factory default" setting on Lectric's controller. To get your e-bike back to how it was, you can use the manual to see the default number for each setting, or contact the company for extra help. View the full article

David Lammy says Britain is ‘open’ to joint financing of military spending to boost continent’s securityView the full article

Standing next to her makeshift home of scrap metal, wood and plastic tarp, 47-year-old Nelly Mengual recounts how severe flooding and winds tore off her roof a few months ago, leaving her knee-deep in water in her home. She lives in an informal settlement on the outskirts of Riohacha, in northern Colombia’s arid, wind-swept region, where thousands of other Wayuu people, native to the La Guajira region spanning Colombia and Venezuela, also reside. Although many residents were born in Colombia, it is the Wayuu who fled Venezuela who face the greatest hardship. Having escaped what many describe as economic crisis, they now live in these settlements without access to running water — and for many, without electricity. The Wayuu, whose traditional lands span Colombia and Venezuela, view the border as a political construct rather than a cultural divide, with their relationships and networks transcending national lines. “This entire hut. Our belongings, what little we had. Everything was lost,” said Mengual, who makes ends meet by recycling scrap material in Maicao. The Wayuu, the largest Indigenous group in Colombia, are facing the dual threats of climate change-driven droughts and floods. Scientists warn that more severe, prolonged drought periods punctuated by flashes of torrential rain are only getting more common as the world warms. Aside from damaging people’s homes, they are also draining water sources, destroying crops, and increasing health risks from waterborne diseases. Many Wayuu families are forced to migrate in search of essential resources, putting even more pressure on already overcrowded urban areas. Intense flooding challenges the Wayuu’s way of life Ingrid Gonzalez, a Wayuu community leader from Maracaibo who’s lived in the Villa del Sol settlement near Riohacha for six years, says those more traditional Wayuu homes, made with sticks and covered in mud, are very susceptible to the rainy season. “There are many, many houses that flood and fill up with water,” said 29-year-old Gonzalez. “A strong river of water passes through here, and the mud houses collapse.” “Some people manage to preserve their homes by reinforcing them, but the damage is still significant,” she said. “Several of my own roofing sheets were blown off.” Samuel Lanao, head of Corpoguajira, La Guajira’s environment authority, said in 2024 extreme winter floods caused significant losses of homes, crops, and domestic animals in Indigenous communities, particularly among those coming from neighboring Venezuela. “Because of climate change, there’s been a rise in vector-borne diseases like dengue and Zika. Dengue, in particular, has hit Indigenous communities very, very hard,” he said. Lanao said Corpoguajira has created a Climate Change Plan to cut emissions and boost community and ecosystem resilience. The shift in weather patterns is undeniable to Camilo Martinez, La Guajira base manager for the Danish Refugee Council, which has a strong presence in the region. With 14 years of experience in the area, he has witnessed these changes firsthand. “Years ago when I arrived here, there was fog and in certain hours of the morning it was cold. Today that has stopped, as well as in the snow peaks on the nearby mountains … you don’t see that much anymore,” Martinez told The Associated Press at the Uyatpana Indigenous community, on the outskirts of Maicao. Martinez says the months the rainy season starts has changed, but also the intensity of the rain too when it eventually comes. Scientific evidence of climate change in La Guajira, supported by data from Colombia’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) and various studies, includes rising temperatures, prolonged droughts like the 2012–2016 crisis, irregular rainfall patterns, and increased desertification. Heat and drought tests informal settlements Last year’s heat was the hottest Gonzalez, the community leader, can remember. “There are houses where the heat is intense, which affects people, especially those with high blood pressure. They feel tired, flushed, and even unwell,” she said. “The heat is so strong that it even affects the animals. Neighbors who have chickens have lost some of them due to the extreme heat, as the animals are suffocating.” A significant portion of the Wayuu population maintains traditional, semi-nomadic lifestyles, residing in rancherias — thatched-roof huts made from dried cacti and mud — and herding cattle and goats. In many informal settlements, residents lack access to running water or sanitation services. Water sellers transport untreated water in barrels, using mules to distribute it between homes for a fee. While many people rely on collecting rainwater, the increasing unpredictability of rainfall has made this source of water less dependable. “They have been forced to buy water from sources that aren’t clean, transported by mules or carts that make long journeys to bring it to families,” said Martinez. “This water isn’t drinkable—it can only be used for washing or cooking. But people are left with no choice but to drink it. This is one of the biggest consequences of the droughts and the lack of rainfall during these seasons.” Many non-governmental organizations say they step in to support these areas in La Guajira where state assistance is minimal or entirely absent. Colombia’s environment ministry did not respond to AP’s requests for comment. Wayuu leader Anibal Mercado told AP the migrant Wayuu population suffers the most because of climate change. “You find them picking up garbage, you find them recycling, which has never been seen before. And that is a product of the neglect of the government. The State has been promoting neoliberal policies that go against traditional rights, with which the Wayuu used to provide for their own economy… their own food,” he said. Many work to rebuild, again and again In the neighborhood of Uyatpana, 28-year-old Laura Pushaina sits on a stool, weaving a chinchorro, a traditional Wayuu hammock used for sleeping. With five children between the ages of one and ten, she says the intricate work will take her four days to complete. Pushaina is one of thousands of Wayuu people who cross into Colombia and establish settlements. Due to shifting political and economic conditions in the region, many have left homes in neighboring Venezuela. Many, like Pushaina, told the AP they hope to return to their rancherias on the Venezuelan side of the border, but they believe the political and economic situation remains too unstable to do so. Some also said that relocating from the informal settlements would help, as the land is unsuitable for living without running water or proper sewage infrastructure. Just a few months ago, Pushaina’s home was destroyed by the floods. “I’ve lived through the worst of times,” she said. “The water would seep through the mud, and sometimes it came in like a river, flowing through here.” The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. —Steven Grattan, Associated Press View the full article

After 12+ years in SEO, selling to hundreds of clients – from small businesses to global brands – I’ve learned what works when it comes to landing and retaining SEO clients. While every client is unique, there are clear strategies that consistently lead to success. This article tackles my best advice for winning new SEO clients, along with insights from top industry professionals. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale, these proven tactics will help you build a strong client pipeline. 1. Start small When building your SEO business, you can go after big clients (“whales”) or smaller ones (“rabbits”). While whales bring higher revenue, they’re harder to land without a proven track record. Rabbits, on the other hand, are easier to sign and provide quick cash flow. Some of the best places to find small-business clients include: Freelance platforms: Upwork, Fiverr, Craigslist, Bark.com, GetCredo.com. Local business groups: Chamber of Commerce, marketing meetups. Social media and forums: Reddit, X, LinkedIn. Personal network: Business owners you know, friends, family. Starting small builds experience, testimonials, and case studies – helping you land bigger clients over time. Dig deeper: Ensuring quality in your SEO services: A checklist 2. Do great work Delivering outstanding results is one of the most effective ways to grow your SEO business. Clients are seeking strategic partners who inspire confidence, as Luca Tagliaferro explains: “Clients want a strategic partner but also a doer. With SEO, there is much uncertainty about what works, so you have to come out very confident in your recommendations.” This emphasis on strategy is reinforced by Carrie Rose, who built a successful agency quickly: “Focus on strategy, not execution. Clients want strategic partners right now, especially with SEO – start by selling an SEO strategy project and you’re already positioning yourself as their long-term agency partner.” To truly establish a partnership, prioritize client education. Mike Ginley provides valuable guidance: “Teach them like they will no longer need you one day. Helps build trust, helps build knowledge. Both will help overall success of the website and partnership.” This approach builds trust without losing clients. In practice, when you teach clients thoroughly, they rarely conclude they can handle SEO independently – they continue to value your expertise. When you deliver work that clients can’t help but mention to peers, referrals follow naturally. If you lack confidence in achieving results, invest in training through conferences, meetups, podcasts, and other resources to immerse yourself in SEO. Beyond passive referrals, implement the simple yet powerful strategy of asking. Many clients don’t think to refer you – not because they’re unwilling, but because they assume you’re busy or have other priorities. Make it a practice to directly request introductions at least annually. As Erin Jones notes: “Do great work for your existing clients, and they’ll not only stick around, but they’ll sell you to other business owners. There’s no greater sales tool than taking great care of your existing clients and helping them increase their visibility online and revenue as a result.” Building an agency partner network can transform your business. The standard arrangement pays referrers 10% on the first year of services, creating bidirectional revenue opportunities. However, choose these partners carefully, as you’re attaching your reputation to work outside your control. Some potential partners for SEO agencies include: Web design agencies. Fractional CMOs. Paid media agencies. Creative agencies. Smaller or larger SEO agencies that don’t serve your ideal clients. Technology/tool companies. Build a target list and reach out to discuss your capabilities. 3. Get listed in SEO agency directory websites Listing your agency on one of the many agency directory sites can be an easy way to passively generate some lead flow. While some of these sites are honestly not worth the time, others can be a powerful tool. When listing your agency on these sites, fill out as much detail as possible. If you can get some of your clients to leave you reviews on these platforms, it can go a very long way toward helping you land new SEO clients. Some of the sites I have used are: Clutch. Agency Spotter. Digital Agency Network. The Manifest. UpCity. Credo. Semrush’s Partner Directory. Breef. 4. Conduct Linkedin outreach Although I haven’t had great success with it myself, LinkedIn outreach can be an effective way to connect with potential SEO clients and is often recommended by others in my position. Since many of us have experienced spammy outreach, the key is to be authentic, useful, and non-intrusive. 5. Do email outreach Some of my most meaningful client relationships started with a cold email. While this approach can be effective, it can also lead to many unproductive meetings. To make the most of it, have a strong process for quickly qualifying or disqualifying leads to avoid wasting time. 6. Develop unique capabilities and differentiators In 2024, there were 54,216 digital advertising agencies in the U.S., growing at a 14.5% CAGR since 2019, according to IBIS World. Globally, 5.22 million people on LinkedIn have SEO in their title or work experience. Clearly communicating “why you” is key to landing clients. For instance, my agency leverages technology in client accounts and focuses on organizational and marketing OKRs rather than just SEO metrics. Build your “Why us” case with business impact in mind. Tip: Create “industries we serve” pages on your website to highlight how you help specific businesses. Our beauty SEO page has led to valuable clients and conversations. Dig deeper: How to keep your SEO clients engaged: 8 communication touchpoints Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. 7. Participate in the community and build thought leadership Being seen as a thought leader can be a valuable source of new leads. However, you don’t need to be at the forefront of the industry to establish credibility. I’m not, yet I still generate leads this way. You should do it, too. There’s always room for more voices. Engaging on Reddit and other forums can also help build credibility and a reputation for being helpful – qualities potential clients look for. Many top SEO experts, like Marie Haynes, started by simply answering questions in forums. Places to engage in thought leadership and community participation include: X. Reddit. Conferences. Medium. LinkedIn. Your agency blog. Guest posting on industry blogs. 8. Perfect the pitch A strong pitch process is essential for winning clients, yet many agencies and contractors miss the mark. A strong pitch should: Establish authority by introducing yourself or your agency. Present a clear SEO approach with a roadmap of activities. Define your capabilities and the specific work you’ll be doing. Set expectations for results, including a timeline for impact (without overpromising exact metrics). Outline your SEO implementation plan. Unimplemented optimizations will not drive results. For clients with difficult CMS setups or limited dev resources, use edge SEO tools or JavaScript implementation. Showcase your work with case studies that speak to your target audience. Your pitch process should typically include two or three calls. The first should be a discovery call, focused on gathering information rather than selling. Caroline Posma offers great advice for this stage: “Be genuinely interested in their business and genuinely motivated to help them grow organically. A sales call is about them, not you. Don’t just pitch. Do your best to understand their business, their problems. Already provide value, for example by doing a quick site audit.” During this call, ask about their broader marketing efforts. Do they have dev resources? Use a PR agency? Invest in paid media? Understanding these areas can help you make a bigger impact. The second call is where you present your capabilities and findings, especially if you’ve provided a free audit. Dig deeper: Mastering SEO account management: The recipe for success 9. Offer a free initial SEO audit Some SEOs and agency leaders refuse to offer free work, but this can be a missed opportunity – especially for those just starting out. Clients need to see the value before committing, which is why free audits are so effective. A mentor once told me, “Make them sick, then make them better.” Show clients what’s wrong, then clearly explain how you’ll fix it. SEO expert Tammy Wood supports offering quick wins upfront: “Quick wins – immediate gratification prior to charging. Why? Because I’ve obviously looked through the site, and the knowledge may help them – whether hired or not.” A free audit also demonstrates your expertise in ways a generic capabilities deck cannot. A well-executed audit in just two hours can highlight your depth of knowledge. If you can explain findings in a way clients understand, you build trust and set the stage for a strong partnership. After all, if they don’t buy into necessary changes, showing SEO impact becomes difficult. Chris Green suggests using audits to teach prospects something new about their market: “Teach them something about their market they’re not aware of. Be generous with your time and speak with confidence.” Even if you don’t offer full audits, you can still be generous with insights. Ryan Huser recommends transparency: “Show them how you work. If they have a question about a SERP, query data, or backlinks, I’ll frequently just pull up Ahrefs or another tool on screen share and let them see the process. Don’t worry about giving away the ‘secret sauce.’ They’re trying to hire help for a reason.” Christina LeVasseur uses an interactive approach by showing clients a SERP and asking them to pick the listing they would click. It’s no surprise here that most of the time, clients do not pick their own page! This highlights the importance of the work we do which clients often misunderstand. Grant Simmons emphasizes leveraging competitive insights: “Closing: Highlight where competition is eating their lunch aligned with low-hanging fruit. Give reasonable expectation of expected outcomes.” “Retaining: Demonstrate effort and that you met or exceeded outcomes you predicted. Strategically rinse and repeat where opportunities exist.” Oliver Sissons offers three key tips for presenting audits effectively: “Don’t step on toes. They’ve haven’t come to an agency to be put down. Likely they’ve done a lot right, and just need new ideas.” “Avoid jargon. No need to know every title/canonical tag you’ll check.” “Tie previous results to real business growth (sales, revenue and leads).” Lastly, tap into the psychological principle of fear of loss, which is often a stronger motivator than the promise of gains. If a client is engaging in risky SEO practices, highlight the dangers. As JP Sherman puts it: “Fear will keep them in line!” In a good way, of course! 10. Demonstrate your plan for implementation Audits and optimizations can transform a business, but without a solid implementation plan, nothing happens. That’s why we always discuss how we support implementation. It’s a key factor in delivering faster SEO results. Some clients may grant direct access to their CMS, but others may have custom-built or complex proprietary systems that make even basic changes difficult. Often, implementation is dependent on a development team or technical marketer with a long backlog, delaying progress for months. This is where edge SEO tools like SearchPilot, RankSense, and Sloth.cloud can be game-changers. Not only do they help you win business by offering a practical implementation solution, but they also improve client retention by enabling you to execute changes yourself. Other tools, such as SEOScout, Ahrefs, and seoClarity, offer similar solutions. 11. Build a business case with forecasting SEO forecasting is a powerful way to justify investment in SEO. Martin McGarry emphasizes the importance of setting realistic expectations: “Give them an estimate of growth, where you think you can take them if they partner with you and follow your plan and suggestions. You don’t have to make bold claims of number 1 rankings, but at least target some kind of tangible growth in the areas you’re focusing on.” Dig deeper: How to build lasting relationships with SEO clients 12. Leverage competitive benchmarking Different stakeholders within a company have different motivators. C-suite executives and directors are often driven by competitive insights, making competitive benchmarking a valuable tool. In some audits, we create competitive scorecards that assess competing websites across key SEO factors like technical health, on-page optimization, off-site authority, and performance. Ways to not get SEO clients While researching this article, I came across some of the worst advice on landing SEO clients. Here are two major mistakes to avoid: Making guarantees Never make promises you can’t keep. SEO is unpredictable. Algorithm updates, client implementation delays, and competitor strategies all impact results. Making bold guarantees damages trust and sets unrealistic expectations, leading to unhappy clients and a damaged reputation. Getting ‘accredited’ Some sources suggest getting a Google Partners badge to attract SEO clients, but this is misleading. Google Partners is for PPC, not SEO. Trying to pass it off as an SEO credential may deceive uninformed clients, but those who understand the industry will see right through it. If you want to build lasting relationships, avoid misleading tactics. Time to go get some clients Winning SEO clients isn’t easy, but the right approach can significantly improve your close rate. From doing great work and starting small to developing differentiation and partnering with other agencies, these strategies set you up for success. Now, go land some clients! Dig deeper: 12 tips for better SEO client meetings View the full article

Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) are up a modest amount after the company announced yesterday that it has agreed to be purchased by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. As of the time of this writing, WBA shares are up under 7% to $11.33. Here’s what you need to know about the buyout and share movement. Walgreens is going private After years of financial struggles, publicly traded Walgreens announced yesterday that it has accepted a deal from private equity firm Sycamore Partners to be bought and taken private. Rumors of the deal were first reported earlier this week. Under the agreement, Sycamore will take the pharmacy chain private. The move will give the 125-year-old Walgreens more room to maneuver a turnaround without having to answer to Wall Street investors, notes the Associated Press. Walgreens has faced a rough six months in particular. Last October, the company announced it would close over 1,200 stores due to falling foot traffic and increased online competition. And in January, the company’s stock price plunged after it announced that it would be suspending dividend payments to shareholders in order to redirect its capital allocation. Shares in Walgreens are down more than 49% over the last year. “While we are making progress against our ambitious turnaround strategy, meaningful value creation will take time, focus and change that is better managed as a private company,” Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, said in a statement announcing the acceptance of Sycamore’s offer. “Sycamore will provide us with the expertise and experience of a partner with a strong track record of successful retail turnarounds.” WBA stock is up—but not by a lot Some would expect that when a company receives a buyout offer, its stock price may soar. But WBA stock is up just under 7% in premarket trading, as of the time of this writing, to $11.33. The reason for this is likely due to the fact that the Walgreens-Sycamore deal will see Sycamore pay WBA shareholders $11.45 per share to close the deal. In other words, it doesn’t make sense for WBA stock to be bought above that price since shareholders would only get $11.45 per share if the deal does end up going through. Conversely, it doesn’t make sense for WBA stock to be sold below that price if the deal ends up going through because shareholders know they could get $11.45 per share from Sycamore when the deal closes. As for the Walgreens-Sycamore deal, though Walgreens Boots Alliance says it has accepted the offer, the deal must still be approved by WBA shareholders and also receive regulatory approvals. If the deal passes both those thresholds, Walgreens and Sycamore say its “transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter calendar year 2025.” If that happens, WBA shares will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq as the company will become private. View the full article

The discovery of a huge unexploded World War II-era bomb caused transportation chaos in Paris on Friday that included the suspension of high-speed rail links with London and Brussels and the closure of a vital road artery in the French capital, hobbling France’s busiest train station, dashing travelers’ weekend getaway plans and giving commuters a major headache. The cascade of transport woes spread from the rail to the road network, with Paris police announcing the closure of the A1 highway and sections of the capital’s always-busy ring road around the city, as bomb-disposal experts worked to make the half-ton explosive safe. Eurostar, operator of sleek high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel that links England with the European continent, announced the cancellation of all its services to and from its Paris hub at Gare du Nord, France’s busiest rail station, and the U.K. and Belgian capitals. Travel plans were thrown into disarray. “There’s no solution. We’re going to call the hotel and stay one more day. And change our train ticket,” said Michel Garrot, a retired Parisian who found himself stranded in Brussels, which he’d been visiting with his wife. At London’s St. Pancras station, Eurostar’s London hub, travelers scrambled for alternatives. Fridays are invariably busy there with thousands of people leaving and arriving for weekend breaks. Passengers were advised to try taking trains to Lille in northern France, or fly to Paris. “We’re looking up flights, but our options are limited,” said Lauren Romeo-Smith, part of a group that had a birthday weekend in Paris planned. Another St. Pancras traveler, Lee Bailey, said that Eurostar had offered him a free rebooking or a refund, and an apology, but no compensation. “I’d like to go to a Michelin (starred) restaurant in Paris on their dime, but that’s not happening, apparently,” he told Sky News. Eurostar said that it “sincerely apologizes for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause.” At Paris’ usually humming Gare du Nord station, bright red signs warning of disruptions greeted commuters. French national rail operator SNCF says the station habitually hosts 700,000 travelers per day, making it the busiest rail hub in both France and Europe. As well as towns and cities across northern France and the Paris suburbs, the station also serves Paris’ main airport and international destinations, including London, Brussels, and cities in the Netherlands. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said that the huge disruptions were caused by the discovery of a bomb that weighed half a ton. Workers found it overnight while doing earthmoving works near the tracks in the Seine-Saint-Denis region that borders Paris to the north. Bomb disposal experts were called. Tabarot said that a “a quite large” security perimeter was set up around the bomb-disposal operation and people were evacuated. He urged commuters to postpone rail trips. Bombs left over from World War I or World War II are regularly discovered around France, but it’s very rare to find them in such a people-packed location. The SNCF said that rail traffic was stopped at the request of police. Sylvie Corbet in Brussels, and Jill Lawless in London, contributed to this report. —Samuel Petrequin and John Leicester, Associated Press View the full article

UK regulator wants to loosen requirements for banks to test whether borrowers can cope with higher interest ratesView the full article

Looking for fresh content ideas? Explore these 14 uncommon types of digital content to spice up your marketing campaigns. The post 14 Digital Content Types You’re Probably Not Using Enough appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

America’s butterflies are disappearing because of insecticides, climate change and habitat loss, with the number of the winged beauties down 22% since 2000, a new study finds. The first countrywide systematic analysis of butterfly abundance found that the number of butterflies in the Lower 48 states has been falling on average 1.3% a year since the turn of the century, with 114 species showing significant declines and only nine increasing, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science. “Butterflies have been declining the last 20 years,” said study co-author Nick Haddad, an entomologist at Michigan State University. “And we don’t see any sign that that’s going to end.” A team of scientists combined 76,957 surveys from 35 monitoring programs and blended them for an apples-to-apples comparison and ended up counting 12.6 million butterflies over the decades. Last month an annual survey that looked just at monarch butterflies, which federal officials plan to put on the threatened species list, counted a nearly all-time low of fewer than 10,000, down from 1.2 million in 1997. Many of the species in decline fell by 40% or more. ‘Catastrophic and saddening’ loss over time David Wagner, a University of Connecticut entomologist who wasn’t part of the study, praised its scope. And he said while the annual rate of decline may not sound significant, it is “catastrophic and saddening” when compounded over time. “In just 30 or 40 years we are talking about losing half the butterflies (and other insect life) over a continent!” Wagner said in an email. “The tree of life is being denuded at unprecedented rates.” The United States has 650 butterfly species, but 96 species were so sparse they didn’t show up in the data and another 212 species weren’t found in sufficient number to calculate trends, said study lead author Collin Edwards, an ecologist and data scientist at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “I’m probably most worried about the species that couldn’t even be included in the analyses” because they were so rare, said University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologist Karen Oberhauser, who wasn’t part of the research. Haddad, who specializes in rare butterflies, said in recent years he has seen just two endangered St. Francis Satyr butterflies — which only live on a bomb range at Fort Bragg in North Carolina — “so it could be extinct.” Some well-known species had large drops. The red admiral, which is so calm it lands on people, is down 44% and the American lady butterfly, with two large eyespots on its back wings, decreased by 58%, Edwards said. Even the invasive white cabbage butterfly, “a species that is well adapted to invade the world,” according to Haddad, fell by 50%. “How can that be?” Haddad wondered. Butterfly decline as a warning sign for humans Cornell University butterfly expert Anurag Agrawal said he worries most about the future of a different species: Humans. “The loss of butterflies, parrots and porpoises is undoubtedly a bad sign for us, the ecosystems we need and the nature we enjoy,” Agrawal, who wasn’t part of the study, said in an email. “They are telling us that our continent’s health is not doing so well … Butterflies are an ambassador for nature’s beauty, fragility and the interdependence of species. They have something to teach us.” Oberhauser said butterflies connect people with nature and that “calms us down, makes us healthier and happier and promotes learning.” What’s happening to butterflies in the United States is probably happening to other, less-studied insects across the continent and world, Wagner said. He said not only is this the most comprehensive butterfly study, but the most data-rich for any insect. Butterflies are also pollinators, though not as prominent as bees, and are a major source of pollination of the Texas cotton crop, Haddad said. Driest and warmest areas are worst for butterflies The biggest decrease in butterflies was in the Southwest — Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma — where the number of butterflies dropped by more than half in the 20 years. “It looks like the butterflies that are in dry and warm areas are doing particularly poorly,” Edwards said. “And that kind of captures a lot of the Southwest.” Edwards said when they looked at butterfly species that lived both in the hotter South and cooler North, the ones that did better were in the cooler areas. Climate change, habitat loss and insecticides tend to work together to weaken butterfly populations, Edwards and Haddad said. Of the three, it seems that insecticides are the biggest cause, based on previous research from the U.S. Midwest, Haddad said. “It makes sense because insecticide use has changed in dramatic ways in the time since our study started,” Haddad said. Habitats can be restored and so can butterflies, so there’s hope, Haddad said. “You can make changes in your backyard and in your neighborhood and in your state,” Haddad said. “That could really improve the situation for a lot of species.” Follow Seth Borenstein on X at @borenbears Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. —Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer View the full article

February figure was below the 160,000 forecast by economistsView the full article

Fans of the beleaguered retail chain Big Lots will be happy to learn that the first locations to reopen after its bankruptcy last year are currently undergoing a cleaning, remodeling, and re-merchandising process. Their reopening, the first in a series of four waves of “soft openings,” is scheduled for next month. Here’s what you need to know about when and where Big Lots stores will reopen. Big Lots ‘first wave’ locations Variety Wholesalers, the North Carolina-based retail company that has taken control of hundreds of the ailing retailer’s stores, has confirmed with Fast Company that it is gearing up to reopen some of the locations that it has acquired. As Fast Company previously reported, as many as 200 Big Lots stores were assigned to Variety Wholesalers as part of a deal with Gordon Brothers, the liquidation firm that took control of the retailer. The locations will reopen in four waves from April through early June. Fast Company has now learned that the first of those waves is underway. The first wave of Big Lots store reopenings will encompass nine stores in six states across the South. Those locations are: Kentucky 1342 Indian Mound Dr, Mount Sterling, KY Louisiana 755 Veterans Memorial Blvd, Metairie, LA Mississippi 2605 W Main St, Tupelo, MS 5778 Hwy 80 E, Pearl, MS North Carolina 1432 E Dixie Dr, Asheboro, NC Tennessee 1041 S Riverside Dr, Clarksville, TN 744 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 220 Dickson Plaza Dr, Dickson, TN Virginia 2911 Hershberger Rd NW, Roanoke, VA Big Lots reopening date Jeff King, Variety Wholesalers vice president of sales and marketing, told Fast Company that the company began the necessary work on March 3 to reopen the locations. He confirmed that the nine locations listed above will have their soft openings on Thursday, April 10. The stores will remain closed for a period of time before then so Variety Wholesalers can perform necessary work, which includes cleaning the locations, as well as remodeling the stores and bringing in new categories of merchandise. King also confirmed plans for the second wave of Big Lots opening. He said that wave would include considerably more locations—another 70 stores—and that those stores would reopen on Thursday, May 1. Big Lots back from the brink It’s fair to say that 2024 was the worst year in Big Lots’ 57-year history. After suffering financial difficulties for years, Big Lots announced in December that it would be going out of business and closing all remaining 870 locations, and thus seeing the elimination of 27,000 jobs. Gordon Brothers purchased Big Lots and had been managing the stores’ closures when, in the final days of 2024, Variety Wholesalers swooped in, agreeing to buy at least 200 locations from the liquidator to keep the chain going under the Big Lots brand. Variety is the owner of several other discount chain stores, including Roses, Bill’s Dollar Stores, Super Dollar, and Bargain Town. Other states besides the ones listed above that are expected to see Big Lots stores reopen include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia. View the full article

Google released its much anticipated AI Mode, which is in beta now, but it super cool. Google AI Overviews are now powered by Gemini 2.0. Google had more search ranking volatility this week. Google said they answered...View the full article